I was reading about Patty Duke. She developed sepsis. I didn't have that, I had peritonitis. I think sepsis is more serious. It says you get a fever and chills which I didn't have. That's a shame. She was the same age as me I think. When they were talking about it today on the news the guy said "If you feel sicker than you've ever felt in your life, get to the ER." Good advice.

Patty Duke had a rough life. I'm so grateful for the many many years of good relationships with family and friends. Actually I've had it easy most of my life. Illness have been few, I have ZERO pain today even when I walked UP the ramp like drive way that usually causes me a problem! Worked hard all my life, but am now spending more time simply enjoying good books, good conversation, writing in my Journal, and recently back in the garden.

Lenten Roses are blooming in mauve, pink and one even white. As babies come I give them away. The fact it bloomed February 1 this year and we can see them from the house is a real bonus. Some friends want the extra's we have when the visit next.

Our new small Red Maple with fern type leaves is really starting to leaf out, Warranty would be up in 8 more days - that was close! Service Berry in the front yard is full of beautiful fluffy white blooms. It is still small and doesn't do what the old Maple did which is to supply lots of shade. Actually the grass out front loves the sunshine that feeds it.

Mary and CarolSue DH also likes night lights between bedroom and the refrigerator, but still would turn on lights as soon as he shuts bedroom door. He needs far more light than I do. I do as Mary said and get up, go to the bathroom and back to bed without any need for light. I used to pretend I was blind as a child and could go anywhere in our home without light. Mom's arthritis made it important we keep all pathways free of anything she might stumble over. Really good suggestion anytime.

DH and Pat replaced all the lights under the cabinets in kitchen and in TV room with LED lamps and dimmers. Amazed at the difference in usage of electricity. Thank goodness "do it yourself" has always been in my life, but I'd NEVER tackle electricity. I did once repair the dryer and put in a new belt many years ago. They are more complicated now so again that is not an option.

Loved our youngest's visit both Sunday with family and again yesterday between her doctor's appointments. We talked and talked. Loved every minute.

I'm shocked how fast savings goes as we compare this April with last April. God some major work done on house, helped daughters, and bought some much needed furniture. Scary to see savings go down because there is NO way to increase it. Dental costs were extremely high for the second straight year. DH has a chipped tooth and we dread to find out what that will cost. His new hearing aids were really, reaally costly but he can hear so much better and that is priceless.

Ready to return bunch of books to library. I'm so grateful for that Library. We had none within 22 miles for the first 12 or 15 years we lived here. Today I drive past it to go to appointment and can run in. Kristin Hannah is an author I really appreciate. She can develop each character so well, but also shows growth in character as each interacts with each other or with situations such as illness and death. I finished a second of hers late last night. That continues to be a problem. I sat up way, way too late reading, but when I finally went to bed I slept so late I still got full 8 hours sleep!!!

Sandy

Good afternoon GG's,

(Started this on Wednesday, but didn't get it finished.)

It is a dreary drippy cloudy day here today. Maddie is supposed to be having soccer practice this evening, but I'm wondering if they'll end up canceling.

Feeling accomplished today. I've had a good couple days of getting some stuff done. Yesterday, I hemmed up a T-shirt (part of mom's birthday gift). Then got the name labels sewed on that and a pair of pants and socks for her.

Today, I got a stack of kitchen towels, dish cloths, bath towels and wash cloths that I had washed and dried and left on top of the dryer for weeks ~ never getting around to putting them away where they belonged. Also rounded up sheets, blankets and pillows that had been used different times Maddie stayed here and never got taken care of. Got to some dusting that desperately needed to be done ~ in my bedroom, the bathroom and hallway. Picked up two different sets of building blocks that Steve and Maddie had made stuff with and left their creations sit up to admire ~ they hadn't been used for months, so back in the box they went. Straightened up the sewing room ~ I have major work to do in there, but have a few other projects that I need to do before I can tackle that. But at least for the time being, it is in a little better shape until I can work on that big job. Whew ~ pooped.

Friday evening

I've kept up with reading your posts, but haven't had a chance to post anything. More cleaning ~ got to take advantage of the desire to do it before I poop out and lose the urge to do. Laundry, vacuuming, mopping, washing bathroom rugs. More sewing. Still more to do. Never a lack of stuff to do.

Sorry ~ almost bed time ~ I'll try to get the personals tomorrow.

Hope you all have had a good day and have a good rest tonight.

We went to the gym this morning. Because dh's back so often hurts after walking the track, I convinced him to try a sit-down elliptical. I haven't tried it but have watched others. He enjoyed it and said he felt better using it than walking. I think it's good to switch up your workout from time to time anyway.
We stopped at the CU on the way home but otherwise we just stayed home today although dh ran out a couple times for things he needed. It is hard for him to just stay home unlike me...I can rarely think of anything I want to go out for.

Glad you are pain free now, Sandy. The roses sound beautiful. Our maple is starting to leaf out too and our azealas look really pretty...much better than last year. I think it's because dh fertilized them. I have been asking him to do this and finally he said he just fertilized everything and I also notice our flowering tree looks much better this year too. Either that or because we got more rain...last year was so dry altho we did catch up in the fall. I don't know that author but will check her out...however I don't need anymore books.

Oh, two electronic things happened to please me.....I thought my old kindle was dead. I plugged it into a new cable and it charged and is working fine! I haven't used it in over a year I'd guess. Then my old iPad was not allowing me to delete my apps, was thinking to go into AT&T and ask them about it, then decided to reset it...I was afraid of losing data but when it said I wouldn't I though I'd try it and it worked! Even got rid of another wierd thing that had happened the last time I updated as well. So really felt I accomplished something!

Carole - Yes sepsis would be really bad...nasty bugs..and more widespread I should think. Both are things we all want to avoid for sure.

Yesterday I got all my weekly cleaning done except the kitchen and today I got that done, however I did plan to do some decluttering today and I didn't get to that.

The Ranch chicken I made last night was surprisingly good! Our son dropped by on his way to his drill weekend and we talked him into spending the night since he wasn't sure what his sleeping situation would be. He left early this am. Halo was excited to see him as usual.

Tonight I made Cheesy Pizza Pasta using the same bow-tie pasta. I didn't like it very much, but it was edible and dh liked it. Tomorrow night I am preparing meatloaf Burgers with Tomato Gravy and will serve it with rice and pea pilaf. I like to try new recipes.

Goodnight...

Good morning everyone,
Oh my, I don't post for one day and then see that I have a lot of catching up to do LOL. As I mentioned in my last post, Nan has started reviewing her will and because she doesn't want her daughter to give me a bad time when the time comes she is being concise on a few things (furniture) that she wants to stay here when she goes. I got rid of some of my things to make room for her things when she moved in. I started to cry a bit as I hate the subject of her making final plans but I guess it has to be done. I am fearful that if Nan has to go into a nursing home that her daughter will want her to be in her city and not here which would make it difficult for me to visit every day. She will stay here as long as possible until she can't walk anymore or get herself to the bathroom. We are not looking forward to this Thursday when we find out if the cancer has spread to her internal organs and options for treatment. All we can do is hope and pray and just take it one day at a time from now on.

Carol the stomach problems you had sure were serious and glad you got through it all ok.

MaryYou too, went through a lot with your gall bladder and I bet you are glad that is overwith. I had my gall bladder out many years ago. I have a nightlight in my bathroom which I love as it is just enough light for those late bathroom visits without having to turn on the bright light. I also have one in my kitchen.

Sandy That's great that so far you have had few illnesses in your life. Your Lenton Roses and gardens sound to be beautiful right now. Everything here is starting to turn green but we haven't had enough good weather for a spring cleanup of our yard and gardens. Sorry to hear that DH has a chipped tooth as dental expenses are so high which reminds me that I am overdue for a cleaning. I'm going to change dentist's as the one I have has moved too far away at the far side of the City and I know of one that is just down the street from me.

Gayle Sounds like you sure are keeping busy with everything you have mentioned in your post that you are doing. For some reason, my bedroom gets so dusty compared to other rooms. I have to dust my bedroom every 2nd day and the rest of the house just once a week.

I might tackle cleaning out my computer desk today and going through my files. There is a lot of old stuff in there that I think I can safely throw away now.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Mary, I searched and found the recipe online for the Ranch Chicken and I think I'll try that. Normally, we don't like sauces/gravies on our meat, but DH likes the flavor or ranch dressing and also likes cream soups so maybe he'll like this. I will have go get some dry ranch mix.

I might change some minds about going to the bathroom in the dark. We have lived here 37 years and for years I walked around in the dark with no problem. One morning when I got up and went into the bathroom, I saw a dead spider squished on the toilet seat. That told me that I had come in in the dark in the middle of the night and sat on it. Never again! Since then, I always use the dimmer when I go into the bathroom at night. The small light in the kitchen is more so I don't trip over the dog, who walks right with me. All I have to do is open the refrigerator and I have lots of light! LOL

Karrine, it's good that Nan is updating her will if she intends for you to keep some things. I keep telling DH that he should make a will as I'm sure his adult children are going to want some things if he passes before me. He just says "Everything goes to you and then you decide what to give them" but I'm not so sure that's how it works legally. I don't want to get into a legal battle with them. There's no money as far as I know, but there are "things." I would rather he made a will and specified clearly who gets what.

Gayle, a friend of mine is going to start the Nutritarian Diet of Dr Fuhrman, but plans to include small amounts of meat, such as in a stir fry etc. I recommended the book to her and she liked it.

Sandy, I went through most of my life in perfect health, until one day all heck broke loose and I was hospitalized 5 times in 5 years. My husband knows his way around the hospital like it was his home. It seems to have let off now and I have been fine since 2012. Thank God!

Halo slept pretty well last night...only got up once about 4:30 and I told her to go back to bed which she did. Seems like she just needs reassurance that we are there. she didn't get up again til after 10 this morning and is now in her favorite spot, on the love seat looking out the window. She spends most of the day there, and that enables us to get more done, but at night we insist she join us in the family room.

Since I got all my weekly cleaning done, I don't have much to do that way today, but plan to some decluttering in the dining room and would like to clean one of the carpets even if it's just the hall, but not sure that will happen.

Carole Sue - My recipe is called Creamy Ranch Chicken. I hope you like it. I was very surprised I did. I have never sat on a spider that I know of but besides almost drinking out of a cup with a spider in it, I have plopped down hard on the toilet seat thinking it was open and it wasn't! And a few times I ended up in the water because dh had left the seat up! But usually I would turn the light on once I got in the bathroom. I hate it though as it wakes me up so much. Now I love that I can just switch on the little candle light. I take my Nexium anytime after 5am so when I get up I can eat breakfast right away. Otherwise I have to wait at least 30 min before eating after taking it. Which reminds me, I forgot to take it this morning.:dizzy:

Karrine - So sad about Nan and continuing to pray for her and you too. I am glad you are there for her but it has to be difficult. Will her dd be with her when she finds out on Thurs? I'm sure you will miss her if she has to move.

Glynne - I didn't see your post when I typed mine yesterday, perhaps we were typing at the same time:?: You got a lot of things done in one day, GFY.

My weight is stable but high. I am still 3# above my sig...I go down a little every few days but never stay there. I still need to be more intentional about my eating...I'm better but I think I'm fighting an uphill battle now with the med I take. I don't eat nearly what I did just a year ago but still can't lose so know I have to cut back more and I struggle with it.

Spiders ? OUCH. I've seen a few in day time and we have those sticky Victor traps near doors and near bathroom that catch some of the critters.

CarolSue Your story has just helped me change my mind about going to bathroom in dark. DH will thank you. I shudder. Last night I did sit down on the lid that I had put down while cleaning back of toilet. Luckily I was able to get up quickly. That is a clue I need to grow up and turn on a light.

DD's friend who was here at Easter is calling and texting DD so much she simply says STOP IT. He has plenty of time in his job but she doesn't. She said she needs a break. Bless her heart she has such a stressful job.

Time to go eat very late lunch.

By the way, all my chives are up and will bloom soon. I think Ranch Dressing may have chives in it. Wonder if I can figure out how to get that delightful taste without buying it?

Sandy

Hi all,
I'll write more in the morning but right now 6:00 pm we are having a heavy snowfall and could get up to 6 inches before it is over. So much for nice spring weather.
Karrine

Snowing?!! Oh gosh, I can't imagine! It is so nice here and dh is working in the yard. I'm sorry for you and Nan. Hope it doesn't last long. Sandy, here's one recipe and I'm sure you can find many more. Enjoy!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/r...ng-recipe.html

Good morning everyone,
It is still dark out here this morning but from what I can see it looks like we got about 2-2/2 to 3 inches of snow overnight so not as bad as predicted. I guess I'll be back to wearing boots for church today. I haven't been watching my diet lately and have gained back 2 lbs. I sure don't want to gain back what I have lost so I better start behaving more again.

Carol sounds like we have a little similar situation when it comes to who gets what when someone passes but even more so for you. I hope DH outlines everything in a will to avoid family disputes. Not something we like to talk about but is necessary in order to keep the peace.

Mary Yes, Nan's daughter is taking off work to come to the Thursday appointment when we find out just how bad things are and options for treatment. Her daughter has Medical Power of Attorney so I'm hoping she and Nan choose the best options for her. We have a wonderful Cancer Center here where I live for radiation and chemo which they don't have where her daughter lives.

Sandy I hope you get that nightlight lol.

My ankle still isn't good enough to clear any snow off my driveway so if my neighbour doesn't do it then it can just wait until it melts.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

We got some snow overnight but only about an inch or less. I heard on the radio that our roads are a little slick, but that probably won't last long. Rusty went out this morning like he didn't even notice the snow was there.

Mary, our toilet lid is down all the time. Sometimes I have to go so bad that that's not a good thing. LOL I might start putting the lid up before I go to bed. DH rarely uses this bathroom but he always closes the lid, also.

How is your Kindle working? Did you hear about the update? Any Kindle bought since 2012 such as mine updates automatically, but the others have to be done manually. The information is on Amazon. This might be it.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/critical-a...141402998.html

I haven't been watching my diet lately either, Karrine. I can't get back to it after Easter. I'm not doing too bad, but I'm not eating enough vegetables. They are so low calorie they help keep my total calories low. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner yesterday and I had a steak salad. It was so good, and so big I couldn't eat it all and brought it home. If it's too wilted to eat today I will just make a new salad and heat up the steak a bit. I think I could have eaten it all, but DH was finished eating and I didn't need to eat it all at once. I am trying to eat to my comfort level rather than eating everything on my plate. I'm slowly learning that.

Our supermarket had chicken drumsticks and thighs on sale for 88 cents a lb so I bought some. When I got home DH said I should have bought more. I went back yesterday and they only had the drumsticks. There was no one working in the meat department on Saturday night so I'm hoping today or tomorrow they will have more thighs out. The sale runs thru Wednesday. I put them on a baking sheet and set it in the freezer. When they are each frozen separately I put them in a big freezer bag and that way they don't stick together and I can take out as many as I need. Sometimes I will cook just a few in a small pot of water, add some carrots and celery, and I have cooked chicken and also some chicken soup! I could eat chicken every day, but not DH. Another store has fresh boneless chicken breasts BOGO, so I might buy some of them, too. We cut them in half crosswise so they are thin and grill faster. If I get them, I'll try out the Ranch Chicken.

Good morning GG's,

It is a nice sun shiny day here so far.

Work continues on getting stuff done here. I have been working on some smaller little projects ~ sewing/mending/crocheting that needed to be finished. Almost done with those, then I can tackle the big one ~ a stack of boxes in my sewing room ~ unpacking, sorting (throw away, give away, keep and put away). It is a moving stack of boxes ~ moved from one location in the house to another ~ LOL.

Steve worked over at Sara's yesterday helping her with yard work. So it was quiet here. Jason stopped by to visit ~ always enjoy getting to spend a little time with him.

Grandson Corbin got some kind of award at school the other day ~ kind of a good citizen award ~ for being a good, caring person. A big class of kids and only a few got this award. So proud of him ~ he is an awesome kid.

Need to get a haircut and will do it if the lady that cuts my hair the way I like is there today. Then want to go to Walmart to look for one of those stick vacuums. I want something small for little spots. I did vacuuming the other day and missed the inside of my closet ~ hate to haul the big one back out for that little spot. One of those might also be easier to use to sweep the kitchen floor than the broom and dust pan.

It has been interesting reading y'alls discussion about going to the bathroom at night. Steve does it like you guys describe. I thought he was the only one who did it that way. I have night lights through out the house ~ that way I can get around at night and can see well enough not to trip on something, without having to turn on a big bright light. And about the toilet lid up ~ he leaves it up after he is done. That is kind of helpful in a way ~ when it is up like that, I know he has been in there already and don't have to worry about hurrying before he comes in with his eyes shut, feeling his way along. A couple times, I got there first and hear him coming ~ I think it kind of wakes him up a little when I have to speak so he knows I got there first. It would be more startling I think, if I said nothing and he didn't know I was there and sat on me ~ LOL. I'm not gonna tell him about the spider incident. He would probably be miffed to have to alter his ways and get more waked up. Down here, he would perhaps be more apt to sit on one of those little lizards. I found one time that I had accidentally shut one in the crack of the bathroom door. I felt so bad ~ it was little ~ probably just a baby and didn't know the danger and run away fast enough.

Carol Sue and Karrine ~ I can identify with the eating difficulty. Every time I feel like I have made a little progress, I make a food choice (seemingly small and minor) that undoes my progress. Wish I could do well long enough to make some substantial progress.

Carol Sue ~ good idea with freezing the chicken so that you can take out a few pieces at a time. I had been reading some recipes and had come across some that use a smaller crock pot ~ I found one at Walmart ~ less than $10. That size will make a meal for 2. I am thinking I can do something for myself (since Steve is against bending and doing any meats on this diet) with chicken. I got a couple books at the library with recipes for a smaller sized crock pot and an excited to try it. There were a couple for an oatmeal that I think would be nice to try ~ no waiting in the morning, it would be all ready and warm on a cold morning.

On the discussion of wills ~ my father-in-law ~ started preparing ahead of time ~ gave things to the people he wanted to have them while he was still living. I think it was probably part of the process of downsizing to move to a smaller place.

Karrine ~ I'm glad Nan's daughter is going to be able to come to her appointment on Thursday. Hoping that she will be able to get treatment at the wonderful Cancer Center that is near you. Prayers continue for you both.

Sandy ~ glad you have a library close by that you can enjoy now. I like how now-a-days, you can access the card catalog on your computer at home and search out a book, place a request for it and get notification when it is available to pick up. I requested some cookbooks with recipes for a small crockpot. Two have come and I am waiting for the last one. Your yard with all the plants you describe sounds like it would be a lovely setting to enjoy.

Mary ~ glad Halo slept better the other night. Hope that helped you and Joe to get a better rest to. Glad that the sit down eliptical worked better for Joe. I used one at one of my PT places and loved it. Cool about your old Kindle and iPad starting to work again.

Mary and Carol Sue ~ the medical problems you both have had ~ sound like awful experiences. I'm glad for the both of you that you recovered from those and are still here with us.

Hope you all are having a nice weekend.

Gayle That chicken bargain sounds great. I'll be out Tuesday and check our store because they, too, change on Wednesday their adds.
My sister who was 16 years older did as you mentioned. She would ask us when we visited what we liked of her stuff. She had one piece of a Japanese Potter I would love to have, but was so shocked with here words, then scared, and didn't take it. A kid landed up with it and I bet he broke it. I sure have hundreds and hundreds of great memories of her anyhow.

CarolSue Didn't think to separate the thighs on cookie sheet. What a great idea. With 3 of us here all preferring dark meat, if there is only 2 we could limit what we cook.

DH is fixing a baking hen right now. I'll probably make chicken salad with celery with the amount of white meat left from Dinner.

Mary, thanks for place to get good recipe. With DH doing the cooking in our small corridor kitchen, he seems to claim ownership to it and I rarely cook except to fix myself left overs on next day lunch.

Just got home from church and dinner out. We went to a Thai restaurant which we have never visited before. The food was ok...good quality and cooked well...I'm not crazy about the sweet taste of a lot of Thai food but I got the yellow curry and it had lots of potatoes in it which I like. I would probably have liked a beef and broccoli dish better otherwise but I did like the potatoes. I had never tasted Thai curry ...and I think I prefer Indian curry.

I also tried their Thai ice tea. It was sweet but at the waiter's suggestion, I had it cut with regular tea and that helped so glad I did it as it was plenty sweet plus creamy tasting from the milk. Just wanted to try it. I do like sweet tea occasionally but it was the carbs I was worried about...got lots of them I know ...potatoes, sweetish sauce, rice, sweet tea AND we shared a sweet rice and ice cream dessert. It was yummy! I know some of you probably don't agree but If I'm eating out and paying for it I want to enjoy my meal. I can eat salad at home. I realize this is probably another reason why I can't lose weight or keep my bs down. :( We eat out at least once a week.

Gayle - Sounds like you are getting things done. I did a little de-cluttering in the dining room yesterday. Dh has a low bookcase he considers, in combination with his end of the table, to be his "desk." He takes care of the drawer but I occasionally attempt to de-clutter the rest. Didn't get rid of much but with his approval I did eliminate a few things. Oooo, lizards! I don't care how little they are, they still creep me out. One of the things I don't like about Mexico, Hawaii and PI. I haven't been to TX that much...just San Antonio and driving through but didn't see any there.

Carole I know what you mean by having the toilet seat down not always being a good thing. :D But don't like falling in the water either. :^: I've been reading about a lot of people finding rats and even snakes in their toilets and a warning (forgot what org it was) said to keep the seat down and flush before you sit down and twice afterwards! We are on septic tank so doubt that's an issue unless the system has a hole in it somewhere. We just got a new tank a few years back so unless a hole is in a drain pipe we should be safe. :^: Wouldn't that just creep you out?!! Sorry to give you all something else to worry about...

Yes I heard about the Kindle update but wasn't sure whether it was for an old one like mine. Guess I should check it out.

Today I tried a new way to wear my leggings...under a long skirt. I'm not used to baring my legs yet (I don't wear panty hose) as the only place I usually feel cold is my lower legs and feet, and socks wouldn't look that good with this skirt so it worked well. It's getting pretty warm...72 degrees coming home, but our church is a little on the cool side so I felt fine inside but I did feel I looked like I was dressed for cooler weather as I also wore a black top and my black with gold flakes kimono and black ankle boots. Too much black and I felt the warmth when we left the church.

Grrr...I have followed the instructions to update my Kindle several times now and my Kindle will not update. I think maybe mine is too old. I am attempting to update the one it says for those who are before version 4. Mine is 3.4. I am probably fortunate that it is still working.


ETA: LOL I decided to try one more time before going to bed and suddenly realized I was attempting to download the wrong version! Got the right version downloaded and it is working fine! Thanks, Carole Sue for reminding me to update.

Good morning everyone,
I have physio this morning and then I need to pick up some Dry Lipton Chicken Soup mix for Nan as she has been feeling nauseated for the past 2 weeks & this kind of soup is sitting well with her. For many many years I have been wearing my hair very short but for the past 2 months I've been letting it grow trying to obtain a new hairdo. I do, however, need to go to the hairdresser to tidy up the base of my neck and I think I'll also have my bangs cut a little shorter. I have very thick hair and so far I have next to nothing in grey hairs. I guess I inherited some good genes. All I have ever done is put a few highlights in my hair during the summer months but have stopped doing that now too. I also cleaned out my dressing table and wow did I ever throw out a lot. I had at least 10 containers of dental floss; old eye makeup; and threw away anything I no longer use.

Carol Eating to your comfort level instead of eating everything on your plate sure is a good idea but I don't have the discipline to leave much on my plate if I am paying for it at a restaurant. I have, on a few occasions, brought home some food that I was too full to eat.

Gayle I just love my Shark Stick Vacuum because it is so light. I only bring out my heavy vacuum a few times a year when I move furniture for a thorough cleaning. I don't have any pets and there is just the two of us here and no little ones around so it doesn't get too dirty. I hear you about making a food choice that you feel undoes your progress. I feel the same way if I cheat.

Sandy When I make my chicken salad I put slivered almonds; celery; cut up pieces of apple; left over chicken and vanilla yogurt mixed in with some mayo. I could eat that everyday.

Mary I am too chicken to try different cuisines so good for you being brave enough to go to a Thai restaurant and try new things. You sure are getting a lot of use out of your leggings. My mother had an old house and she had a rat come up out of her basement toilet. What a mess it made in dark corners and under the steps before we discovered something was amiss. We had to have someone come in to trap it. Needless to say, we kept that toilet seat cover down with a brick on top of it. Mom was too old to go to the basement anymore plus she was blind so that washroom was no longer in use.

We got more snow yesterday so I envy all of you who are having nice warm weather.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

A guy who worked with DH lived near the river and he had rats coming up out of his toilet. We have never had that problem, but I think about it sometimes. I don't know what I'd do!

Karrine, I used to finish everything on my plate when I went out to eat but I stopped that. I should have stopped it before I gained 80 lbs! LOL I usually eat my salad or soup, and any vegetables I have, but before I start eating I cut my entree and potato in half and only eat half, and take the rest home for next day's lunch. It worked out great when I was still working and had something good to take for my lunch. They often suggest that you ask for a take-out box when they bring your meal and put half of the meal in it before you even start eating. Then you aren't tempted to eat it all just because it's there.

Mary, If I was eating at a more interesting restaurant I would probably order a nice meal, but I am so bored with the menu's at the places we go. Anything they have on the menu I can make much better at home. The salads I order are so good! They always have steak or chicken in them for protein, and a good variety of veggies. If I make a salad at home, I don't have all the other stuff on hand, like a variety of greens, black olives, green peppers. I can't keep a lot of things like that at home because it spoils before I use it all. So the restaurant salads are a treat for me. When I got the steak salad at Texas Roadhouse, it had great salad vegetables, a nice steak sliced on top, with a handful of steak fries. All the things I would get if I ordered a steak dinner. I left the potatoes, but brought half the salad and steak home and had it for lunch yesterday. It really hit the spot.

I would love to try something like a Thai restaurant, but DH would never go there. Where we go is more like homestyle meals. That's what he likes. I always wanted to try Indian, but DH wouldn't go there either.

I'm glad you got your Kindle to update. I think if you didn't, you would not be able to download books.

I would not want to flush the toilet before I sit down. I worry about my water bill as we are on city water and pay dearly for it. But I do close the lid before I flush. I heard that that prevents germs from flying out all over the bathroom. Then I just leave it down.

DH always puts the seat and lid down, but he complains that women don't want men to leave the seat up, and he says women should put the seat up when they are done to make it more convenient for the men. LOL Like that's going to happen! I only fell in once when I was a child. Not fun!

Sandy, I prefer dark meat poultry and DH prefers white meat, so none of it every goes to waste. I make my chicken salad with either dark or light, whatever's left over.

Gayle, I have so many slow cookers. I see them on sale for a good price and can't pass them up, but I don't use the big ones very often as there's just the two of us. I have 2 tiny ones that I use for hot dips or side dishes at a get-together. The one I use most is 4 QT. When I make recipes I try to cut them in half most times since there's just the two of us and DH won't eat leftovers. If I make the Creamy Ranch Chicken I will cut the recipe in half. I bought the Dry Ranch Dressing mix yesterday and I think I have everything else.

I don't think it would hurt if you bought some small packages of chicken tenders etc and cooked a small piece of chicken for yourself to go along with the vegan meal you are making for the two of you. That's how I cook for DH and I, making the carbs for him that he likes. Steve might not like you doing that, but maybe in time he would get used to it.

Had trouble sleeping last night due to my feet itching and burning. I applied lotion, didn't work, so applied Tinactin and also took 2 extra strength Tylenol plus 25 mg Benedry (my own version of Tyl PM). Still tossed, turned and scratched but did finally get an hour or so sleep. Dh went to the gym but I didn't as I was hoping to sleep some more. I think I got maybe another hour but that's about all. I'm about ready to take dh's med for burning feet but wanted to talk to dr about it first. Wondering whether it might help with the hot flashes too.

Today is my weekly cleaning day but so far I have only cleaned our little bathroom and set out new towels in both bathrooms. Stripped our bed but haven't remade it yet and it's mid day already. I plan to clean the bedroom next but got distracted by things I had to do online and phone calls. Also want to clean the exterior of my fridge today..top to bottom..with the stainless steel, it always looks dirty.

We are trying to finish off all our leftovers. Dh is eating the restaurant food. Since I ate all the potatoes out of mine I didn't really care that much for the rest. I had a ham sandwich and a serving of scalloped potatoes left from Easter. Threw away the rest of the potatoes but did leave a little ham still for one more sandwich for one of us. The rest of the ham is all frozen, with about 2 slices to a bag. The potatoes sure tasted good to me...potatoes is one of my favorite foods and we don't usually have them often, but that is why I threw the rest away.

Tonight we are having Barbecue chicken on baked potatoes. It is unusual for me to have many potatoes on hand but for Easter I bought more than I needed so I have several right now. I usually don't really bake the potatoes. I cook them in my "waterless" pans in just a little water so sorta like steamed. Not sure what I'll do tonight yet by I hate to bake them because it seems like they take so long. I will also serve a salad. Doubt dh will like it, but maybe I will.

I upgraded my internet and I think it is to start today. So far I haven't noticed any difference.

Carole Sue - I'm bored with the restaurants we usually go to too! About the only ones left in our end of town are Thai which is why I chose that yesterday. There are lots of Thai restaurants but this one was higher rated than most on Yelp. My son prefers Thai to Chinese as he feels it is healthier. The only Thai restaurant I have really liked was in National Harbor near Washington DC. There I was able to order beef and broccoli that was made like Chinese only seemed fresher and healthier than many. Very good! I went back and had it a second time before we left. There is an Asian Fusion restaurant we haven't tried and I know there are probably others but most we notice don't appear that interesting to us or they are in another part of town and we don't want to drive that far. We eat home style American food now and then but not often. There is a diner that I like pretty well but I get tired of it if I go often. Dh prefers Asian food so that's mostly what we go for. I like it too but again, get tired of it if we eat it too often. I like a lot of variety in my food. On the salads, I do get chicken salad sometimes because DH doesn't care for meat salad so I don't serve them at home, unless it is for my lunch then I might use some leftover meat and make a simple one for me.

Karrine - Your chicken salad sounds good except I can't imagine the apples and vanilla yogurt in it. I love nuts in my salads though and probably would like the other too once I tried it.

Well lunch is over so I need to get busy.

CarolSue Trying the Indian and Thai especially because often we can order brown rice that makes it better and more nutritious. We love both. Wish we could afford them more often. Helping our daughters has really taken a hit on our income. We know they try so hard but do need our help. I'm grateful we can.

Love Curry!!!!

Mary I haven't tried any Thai dishes that were sweet. Red curry Chicken is my all time favorite especially with a side of steamed veggies. Agree, love Indian Curry. Restaurant is in City, and we don't like the traffic to get there.

Gayle Any time with our grown children is such pleasure. Glad your kids get along.

Finished some transplanting in Path Garden, watered and mulched. Still waiting on rain. Very sore from gardening, but extra hopeful that dividing the expensive Rozanne will survive because the divided plants really make the Entrance Garden look so good.

We ate out only 3 times last month but each was so very enjoyable. Usually we choose to eat out when we are away from the house any how. I don't remember making a separate trip just to eat out more than a very few times.

Hope Nan does better with the soup and chemo. Karrine how are you able to help so much?

Good morning everyone,
We got almost 6 inches of snow and I was hoping my next door neighbor would clear my driveway but he didn't even do his own driveway. He is a bit on the lazy side. So I got my snowblower going and just did half of my double driveway but I had to take a break half way through because my ankle was hurting. At least it got done hopefully for the last time until the warmer weather comes back. We go to the hospital today for Nan's CAT Scan to determine if the cancer has spread to her internal organs and then on Thursday we all go to the Cancer Center for the results and options for treatment. Nan will have an important decision to make depending on the results regarding treatment as she has told me she won't have chemo and be so sick from it if she only has a short time left.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers for Nan.

Carol Your method for bringing home half of your dining out meal sounds good. I know a lady who likes to go to all you can eat buffets so she loads up 2 plate fulls and brings a lot of it home lol. I am like you in that I don't eat any fancy salads here at home as there are too many ingredients to keep here at home that just go bad because we can't eat it all up.

Mary Are you still getting hot flashes??? Mine stopped about a year ago when I was 72. The doctor told me it is not uncommon for older people to continue to have hot flashes into old age. I love potatoes too but I can't eat them without some form of topping like gravy; creamed corn or margarine which then makes them so high in calories.

Sandy My ankle is slowly improving (too slow for me) and with my ankle brace I can fairly comfortably but very slowly run short errands to the grocery store or drug store etc. so that enables me to help Nan a lot. I'm doing more on the home front at my own pace as she is losing mobility in her arms and her hip is worsening. I am able to bring things to her and help her put on some clothes as she can't raise her arm high enough to get them on by herself. I want to help and am just grateful that I can. I sometime wonder if my ankle will ever be totally healed or if I will always have to wear this brace.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Karrine, I don't think any of the buffet restaurants in our area permit you to take food home. It is all you can eat here. At least I have never seen anyone getting a take out container.

Mary, DH loves potatoes. I make some type of potato at dinner just about every day, and he will eat just a big plate of fried potatoes sometimes instead of a meal. I like them, but try not to eat them often because of the starch. I over ate mashed potatoes last night and ended up with high blood sugar.

Did you ever try putting hydrocortisone cream on your feet when they are itchy? I use it on my legs sometimes when they are itchy. Sometimes it helps. My situation is different as mine is from psoriasis, I think.

I got up late..dh got up earlier but was asleep in his recliner when I got up. :D
We have lots of things planned today so did not go to the gym. When you like to sleep in like us, there aren't so many hours in the day when you can get things done. Dh is planning on bathing Halo today. I have an Oatmeal doggie shampoo for her and we are going to finish it with a weak vinegar rinse besides the usual pre-baking soda scrub. The baking soda has been the best thing to combat her odor so far.

Yesterday Halo has had a couple painful moments recently. She was scruffing up a rug like she often does and caught one of her dew claws in it. Dh noticed and helped her out of the it. Then last night she came to him whimpering but he didn't understand what she wanted. Then he noticed her limping and called me. I noticed she had caught her dew claw in her chain, poor thing. I think that dew claw may have to be removed.

I plan to go grocery shopping today. Got by yesterday with what dh bought but will to the rest today so I can get my 10% discount. I really liked the barbecued chicken on baked potato last night! I did actually bake the potato this time. Very tasty. Dh said it was ok, but he said it in a enthusiastic way;)
So that recipe is a keeper. I changed a few things. For one, it was supposed to be sweet potatoes which would be fine for me but dh doesn't like.

Carole Sue/Karrine - I love potatoes but dh prefers rice and I like rice too so that's what we usually eat. Right now I happen to have a lot of potatoes on hand due to overbuying at Easter, so we are eating them more than usual. I grew up eating potatoes at every meal and I like them just boiled/now more like steamed with a little Smart Balance and s/p. Don't need gravy but occasionally eat them that way. Love them baked too with butter (Smart Balance at home) and s/p and sometimes a little sour cream. Last night I made a sour cream, avocado, cilantro mixture and after putting on the bbq chicken mixture, dropped on a few glops of the sour cream/avocado mixture. Different for us and really good.

Yes I've been using hydrocortisone cream on my feet and it used to help but not much recently. Last night I just used Tinactin and it helped a little but I wasn't itching as bad last night.

Karrine - I hope your ankle will heal ok with you having to shovel snow. I hope your ankle heals sooner than my shoulder. Sometimes I wonder whether it will ever heal too. Yes I'm still having hot flashes altho they are much less than they used to be. I'm 73 so maybe soon they will be gone.:^:

You can't take food home from our buffets either, but I have seen women sneaking rolls into their purses.

Well better get my day started.

Mary I got a chuckle at a restaurant we visit. They used to put those little jelly packets out on the tables at breakfast. The waitress told me that a woman complained that one of the packets opened up in her purse and she got jelly all over everything in her purse. The waitress asked her what the packet was doing in her purse!! LOL Now they ask if you want jelly and bring you a packet of your choice.

Good evening GG's,

It has been a nice sunny day here today. I rode my bike to the little pond/park that is nearby and enjoyed sitting there for a bit ~ enjoying the peacefullness and beautiful surroundings.

I have gotten a few little puttery things done today, but don't feel as peppy as I had been. Guess I can't expect to feel as good as I have been lately, every day.

On the restaurant topics:

We can't pile up an extra plate at the buffets here either and take it home. Golden Corral does have an option where you can get the food to go ~ as little or as much as you want in special take out containers, you pay for it by the pound.

Mary ~ you said: I know some of you probably don't agree but if I'm eating out and paying for it I want to enjoy my meal. I can eat salad at home. That is how I feel too.

And: I realize this is probably another reason why I can't lose weight or keep my bs down. That is probably part of my problem too.

I don't even enjoy eating out anymore. Because of that diet we follow and Steve's belief that even while eating out ~ we must stick to it as closely as possible, we usually go to some kind of salad bar type place. So never a chance to try something different. I do appreciate getting to eat out when we are gonna be late getting home and it saves me from having to “fix” something when I would be too tired by the time we got home.

Mary ~ I like potatoes too, but it is one of those starchy vegetables that our diet discourages eating very often. I will have one every once in a while ~ I just kind of cut it in chunks (leave the peel on) kind of steam it, then mash it with a fork and put on some margerine and sprinkle this stuff called potato topping on it.

I wonder if athletes foot cream would help your itchy feet? It really helps the athletes foot itch when I have it ~ don't know if it would be ok for other foot itches or not. Just a thought.

Carol Sue ~ oh my, what a mess that leaky jelly must have been in that lady's purse. That is a good idea to cut your restaurant meal in half and eat half then and bring the other half home for another time. I kind of like doing that ~ it feels like you are getting two meals for the price of one then.

Karrine ~ sorry you had to clean your own driveway with your ailing ankle. I hope that didn't set you back and that it heals up sooner rather than later for you. Hope maybe that is your last snow this year. Prayers continue for Nan and you. Keep us posted.

Sandy ~ I had always sort of thought that foods with curry were hot and spicy and was always afraid to try them. My daughter fixed a dish when we visited her ~ that had butternut squash chunks, chick peas and maybe some other things (can't remember) and curry. It was really good. I asked her for the recipe and have waited quite a while, but she hasn't had time to write it down for me yet ~ not sure she even can remember it now. She makes up a lot of recipes on her own and may not have one in a book or online ~ just in her memory.

Hope you all have a nice evening.

Pictures are of the packet of potato topping I mentioned and the little park with the pond and fountain I enjoy going to.

Mary Hope Halo's poor paw heals quickly. Regarding rice, do you use white or brown? We have rice several times a week but always Basmatti Brown. DD can't do gluten so sweet potatoes or rice are an alternate that works for us all. DH and I miss having pasta more often, but with both of us trying harder to lower our weight, eliminating pasta is probably a very good thing.'

Gayle DH went to Golden Corral and tried to bring home grilled chicken thigh for me. He was shocked at what 2 cost! Never again.

Carol Jelly in pocketbook. Brings a smile.
Itchy skin is not a smiling issue. My back itches so often and we have $1 back scratchier that can bring blood if I"m not careful. Re: hot flashes. Only after good shower am I bothered and I'm older than any of you.

Karrine Snow, still, and enough to require snow blower. OUCH! You must be getting better because I'm sure that wouldn't have been possible a month ago.

Book Club day for me with 20 delightful women and 2 hours for lots of discussion about a fantastic book. The Nightingale Altho disturbing in what these 2 sisters had to suffer, their development and changes were absolutely amazing. I spent another hour talking with various people while outside and had a fantastic day. Next book is The Rocking Chair Has anyone read it?

Transplanted Geraniums are all 4 looking fresh and the "operation" of separating one into 4 was handled just fine. Loved that I saved between 40 and 60 dollars by NOT buying it at nursery. I did visit my favorite nursery to pick up his really good potting mix. Also enjoyed talking with both of them about all kinds of stuff.

Home, will watch the Women's NCAA Championship from Indiana on TV tonight. Connecticut is sure to win because they are far and away the best of all the women's teams, and probably could beat most men's teams, too.

Enjoy this evening. Sandy

Good morning everyone,
Nan's CT Scan went well yesterday. They did a scan on her chest and stomach area so she had to drink 2 big glasses of stuff and also had to have a dye for her chest. We were at the hospital for 2-2/2 hours. We have had the lowest temperature readings here yesterday since 1982. Winter sure is holding on....we normally can be cleaning up yards and gardens by now.

Carol and Mary The woman I was referring to that would go to buffets and bring some home is from Las Vegas. I don't know how she managed to do it unless, like you all have mentioned, she sneaked it into her purse.

Gayle I too appreciating not having to make a meal if I/we are late in coming home. Nan and I got a take home meal from McDonald's yesterday afternoon. I remember that little park you go to which is so tranquil and enjoyable.

Sandy That's wonderful that you are able to transplant and separate geraniums from the previous year. I don't know how to do that plus I don't have the storage room to do it. Like I have mentioned before, I bet your gardens are beautiful.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Sandy, I have separated Hostas and Coneflowers, but not geraniums. So many friends have a piece of my coneflower growing in their yard. My step son had several in his yard at the house he sold, so now they belong to someone else.

Karrine, sometimes I carry a plastic sandwich bag in my purse in case we have a small piece of meat leftover that is not big enough for a take-out container. We bring it home for Rusty, and he really enjoys it.

There is a local salad bar where people can get it to go. They give them 2 take out boxes for salad and 2 cups for soup. I am not big on salad bars because I like some meat with my meal. I prefer the meal salads, like grilled chicken. Yesterday DH wanted Wendy's burgers so I got a half salad, Chicken, Apple Pecan Salad. Half is big enough for me. You get the same amount of chicken (1 boneless breast) but just less lettuce. I can never make a really tasty salad at home.

Gayle, I will look for those potato toppings at the grocery store. DH might like them. He makes a lot of baked potatoes for his lunch.
That pond looks so tranquil. You are lucky to have it so close to home. We used to have a small pond in our back yard. We had gold fish in it and it was really nice. But the upkeep got too much and we filled it in. A friend came and took the fish to put in her in-laws pond. We were wondering what we were going to do with them.

Curry is supposed to be very healthy. It is said to help regulate blood sugar. I use it in some cooking occasionally. Not enough to actually taste it because DH would probably not like it, and I don't notice a difference in my blood sugar.

One thing that is great is even when we haven't been here awhile we come back and there are such wonderful words of encouragement.

I have an appt for a mammagram this morning. I've been up since Halo came in at 5:30 and I couldn't sleep after that. Dh got up to get ready to go fishing too.

For dinner last night I fixed a chicken, bean and rice dish. I liked the beans and rice but not the chicken and dh didn't like it at all. I also put a few tortilla chips topped with pepper jack cheese in the oven just until cheese melted. We did like them. I used the left over avocado/sour cream mixture to put on top but it was just a little. Certainly not low carb and not a keeper. Tonight is a stirfry with ground beef, asparagus and basil. Will serve with a cucumber salad and rice.

Bobbie - No I don't use any coucous or quinoa, as dh doesn't like them. I wouldn't mind them, but don't like to make anything separate and I know I wouldn't stick to them as I still prefer rice.

Sandy - I like brown rice, but dh doesn't. He tried at one point, didn't like it, and we even tried mixing brown and white for quite a while, but it's just not the same and neither of us really liked it. I've thought about getting the little instant containers of brown rice for myself, but haven't done it.

Glynne - the pond does look peaceful. I can imagine stopping there for a while. We don't have anything like that closeby where we live. We do have a small park about 1 1/2 blocks away. Years ago I used to meet my youngest dd at school which is next to the park and we'd have lunch there now and then. When dh and I still walked outside we used to go through it. I enjoyed that, walking through all the big trees, but I would not go through it alone. Although because of it's location near the school I suspect it is safer than some of our other parks. The next closest park has had lots of crime. I've only been in it twice, once with dh and once with a group.

Karrine - I have no sign of athletes foot but I use Tinactin, my feet itch pretty much all over otherwise...sides, bottom (esp in arch) are worse, but also on top and ankle. Not too bad the last couple nights. I forgot to put the Tinactin on last night but I think it has helped a bit, so maybe the itching is caused by a fungus.

Sandy - I keep a fan at my bedside which I use off an on all night, mostly on.
I love to take long warm tub baths but can't enjoy them very long any more because it always brings on a hot flash. Showers don't bother me as much probably cause they don't last as long and I finish with a cold rinse to my head.

Well gotta run...eat breakfast and get ready for the lovely mammagram..:(

I woke up with pain between my shoulder blades, which is known as a sign of a heart attack. I also felt like I had some really tight congestion which has now loosened up and it being coughed up, so I think it's a cold. My nose is getting runny and I have a low grade fever. I will watch it, but am not alarmed at this point.

Mary, I hate when I try a new recipe and we don't like it. It seems like such a waste, but how will you know if you don't try?

The first time I tried brown rice I didn't like it, but since I bought it I continued to make it and now I prefer it to white rice. Mostly I use it when I make stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage rolls, and DH says he can't tell the difference. I rarely eat rice as a side dish. Sometimes I make some rice pilaf for DH and he likes that. It's actually Rice A Roni, one of the few processed foods I will make.

I can understand your DH preferring white rice due to his Filipino background.

Bobbi, I have never tried cous cous but I have some quinoa that I make for myself once in a while. I like it but DH does not. I don't think anything would ever replace potatoes for him. LOL

Dh caught a Chinook yesterday! About 10#. We love Chinook and now we have our freezer full of it. So happy that dh is finally beginning to catch fish again. He was very tired last night after fishing most of the day, then having to clean, cut it and seal it in bag. We work together and I mark the date on the bags and put in the freezer. My part is easy, LOL. Our grandson came yesterday and he and his dad went fishing with him today. It's another beautiful day. I hope they each catch a fish but I know they will have fun together regardless.

I tried to sleep in but was up at my usual time which would still be sleeping in to most people.;) Felt like I got a pretty good sleep, think I only got up once though I knew when Halo came in at 4:30. Then got a text from my dd and that's when I decided to get up. She was texting to tell me our gs has two dance recitals coming up.

Last night's ground beef, asparagus and basil stir-fry was good. I only had 3 T rice. Dh didn't eat the cucumber salad though and I thought he would like it. I ate 1/2 of it and it was ok. Easy dinner tonight...chicken pot pie (from frozen) and a salad. Since I don't know when to expect the guys this is a good thing.

Yesterday I cleaned the main bathroom and my office and hall. Today I plan to clean the kitchen. Need to clean fridge, clean under the sink, clean out some drawers, and mop the floor. Wonder whether I'll get it all done before the guys come home. Feeling pretty lazy right now.

Found this site for skin care esp made for older women or really any age or even men I guess. I'd like to try it but I have so much skin care already. http://www.boombycindyjoseph.com/

Talk later..

Mary If you've had REAL fresh brown rice, you will find the instant is a very poor substitute and some of it's nutrition is missing, too. Itching would really be aggravating.

CarolSue How do you fix quinoa? I have it but understand it needs spiced up.

Bobbie Thanks for taking care of us.

Karrine Re: dividing perennials, especially Rozanne Geranium: I could simply remove the older plant from ground and pull apart the 3 larger parts without tearing the other parts, then plant directly into garden soil. Water good, the mulch. We've had weather above freezing most of the past month, thank goodness. I've divided and replanted Lady's Mantle also to follow the curve of the walk at the Gate Garden. And, a Day Lily I remember bloomed well altho choked by the wonderful Bee Balm. I moved it to area that held great parsley last year. I do lots of moving in the garden and always have. In the house I rarely ever re-arrange furniture as some of my friends do.

Finished reading an unusual book by Richard Paul Evans. The Letter I checked it out with a second on of his for some lighter reading. I'm also reading couple of more serious books, so I needed something lighter.

Up t 5:00 AM today, and simply stayed up. Rain threatened off and on but don't think we've even received a 1/4 inch yet. Hoping for rain to get soil good and wet before I put down Mulch to hold moisture and to make garden look neat.

Still logging food and activity. Yesterday's day back to gym after weeks of absence was trip that caused my "sitter" to ache, hope that means it will get some muscle and release fat.

Sandy

Good morning everyone,
Bad news in that Nan's cancer is also in her lungs and liver as well as her bones. She is at stage 4. She got a prescription for some strong pain pills yesterday that will likely give her nausea and constipation. Next is an MRI Scan and a Dental appointment to check the health of her mouth for a medicine they want to put into her bones which will help to avoid bone breakage. This medicine will probably give her sores in her mouth but will help protect her bones. Next will be radiation and then chemo. All of the treatments are aimed at making her more comfortable for as long as comfortable. I will be taking her to all of her appointments. Her daughter said she would travel here for any of the appointments with the cancer specialist doctor. Looks like a long journey ahead for both of us and I'm hoping she will be able to stay here for as long as possible before having to go into a hospital or nursing home. I've already had my "moments" in trying to accept this news. Nan hasn't broken down yet but will probably today as yesterday she was busy trying to absorb all the information we received. It will hit her but she sure is trying to be brave. Her mobility in her arms and hip seem to be fading pretty fast and I have to help her with her clothes and little cleaning jobs around the house. She wants to stay as active as she can for as long as she can and doesn't want me to baby her (but I will). I have also noticed a new lump right in the middle of her chest.

Mary how did your mamagram go? I need to book mine too. I have the requisition but just need to book it.

Carol Did your congestion turn out to be a cold?

Sandy You sure know a lot about plants. The only time I move any furniture is if I'm getting rid of something and need to move something to replace the space. Good for you in keeping up your logging for food and activity. I really need to get back to doing mine even with everything else that is going on right now.

Have a good day everyone and please keep Nan in your prayers.
Karrine

The pain in my shoulder blades is gone except if you touch it. I still have a low grade fever, but I don't really have a lot of cold symptoms. My eyes are burning a little and my nose is a little runny, but I have that a lot because of my allergies. I don't know. Overall, I feel fine. I have been wondering if the dizziness I was having was the start of this. The dizziness is gone now. I don't really know when the low grade fever started because I wasn't checking my temperature until I had that first pain on Wednesday.

Karrine, I'm sorry to hear that Nan got such bad news. My heart goes out to both of you. I hope her pain and discomfort are not too bad. Just remember, she is in God's hands.

Sandy, I mostly use instant rice, either white or brown. I have regular rice, both white and brown, but rarely make it. Most of the time I need rice in a hurry for something so I prefer the instant. I really can't tell the different between the instant and the regular. I have also bought some already made in little cups that you just heat up. I like them, too. I guess I am just not that picky about food.

I don't add much except salt and pepper to my quinoa, but I do use a little more water than the package suggests and cook it a little longer, too. I don't like a lot of spices. Sometimes I will make it and mix in some mixed vegetables. Corn, peas, carrots, green beans etc.

Mary, I will have to google Chinook to see what kind of fish it is. I've heard of it.

EDIT: Hmm, my first google said it was an indian. ha ha Then I googled Chinook fish and saw that it is a salmon.

Good morning GG's,

It is a nice sun shiny day so far today.

I lost my roll LOL (on a roll getting stuff done) and didn't get anything much done yesterday. Stupid headache all day. It is better ~ only slight today ~ hope it doesn't get worse ~ I need to get some stuff cooked today.

My little stick vacuum came and I did get that put together and tried it out ~ on a carpeted area in my closet, but haven't tried it on bare floor yet. I like it so far.

Carol Sue ~ glad that the pain in your shoulder blades is gone and wasn't the more serious thing and perhaps just a cold. Hope you feel better soon.

Karrine ~ so sorry for the bad news about Nan's cancer. She is lucky to know someone as kind and caring as you are for her. Will continue to pray for both of you.

Sandy ~ I love reading about your gardening/planting projects. Plants and flowers are so pretty. My attempts with plants don't turn out well ~ I guess I have a brown thumb, so it discourages me from going to the effort and then it doesn't turn out well. All except one time where I got a cutting of a plant from Steve's office and stuck it in a pot with some dirt and as it grew, kept breaking off pieces and starting more until the pot was full and I had a huge plant.

Mary ~ glad Joe is having luck with his fishing. Enjoy the meals from his latest catch. I saw a kiosk at the mall the other day that had leggins on display and thought of you. I thought maybe it was some of the Lularoe ones, but they were a different company.

Guess I'd better get moving. Hope you all have a good day.

Gayle hope headache leaves you soon. I've come to the conclusion that pushing hard is the only way I'm ever going to do more than gain and gain and become miserable.

Mary I envy you the fish DH caught. Since DH is cooking now, he has determined we shall have fish on Wednesdays and Fridays. Pat and I are delighted.

Walk today with DH in that cold blustery weather. Around the subdivision the roads are good and little traffic this time of day. I was able to get bit over 3/4 mile, but was exhausted. At least I planned it and then DID it. Food is far better this week and eating after dinner improved.

I've come conclusion that I simply must put in extra effort to get rid of this weight if I want the rest of my life to be good. Ted's sister Jennie had to go to Nursing Home with her brain tumor and learning to walk with walker after the stroke that caused her to fall and the need for brain scan that showed the brain tumor. Over 90 years old and of course no doctor will touch her to try to remove the brain tumor. She is so angry after finally regaining ability to talk. She had perforated bowel while in hospital so that surgery also hit her poor body so hard. Her daughter says she sounds nothing like the upbeat and cheerful woman she has always been. Hopefully she'll be able to work thru the extreem anger she feels now. We are 1,000 miles from her and won't be traveling down. Be glad when she at least will talk to us on telephone. We have spent lots of time chatting on phone often in the past.

CarolSue Thank goodness the pain is relieved, but the low grade fever needs watched. Are you getting plenty of water? I've noticed when I feel sick, I forget water and drink too much coffee. In fact time for a cup of Joe now.

Sandy

We enjoyed having our oldest gs here all day. He doesn't talk much and is mostly on his computer (working most of the time I think) but knowing he chose to spend the day with us made us happy. The chicken pot pies were a hit. Funny how sometimes the simplest things are the most liked esp with young people. We each had one and our gs had two. I made the extra one thinking he might. He's a tall, but slender guy and he usually doesn't eat much so I'm glad he did. I like my "cooking" (not much required for frozen entrees!) to be appreciated. :D

Tonight I have to do something with some chicken breasts. Not sure whether he will be with us or not. All the guys (except dh) went target shooting up in the mountains. I think I will prepare the chicken in the oven with veggies. We like it that way sometimes. I usually cut the meat in cubes because dh doesn't like whole pieces. I have some leftover rice so may serve that too although the chicken dish will contain some potatoes as well. In that case I usually don't eat the rice since I prefer the potatoes.

Our oldest son's family came over this morning as his gf's son (abt 6) is going with the guys. So we got to see the baby! The whole fam has been sick and she is still coughing and felt a little warm, but she looks good and smiled and cooed.

Halo didn't know what to do last night. She is used to having two beds to choose from at night, one in the fam room and one where our son used to sleep (we still call it his room). Last night our gs was in there and he chose not to have her so she was left with only one bed! :dizzy: So she was sorta in a dither about what to do. So I got her bed (usually in or son's room) and put it in my office. She was so happy she hardly knew what to do and she lay right down. I put some objects on top of the bed we keep in there to keep her off just in case. She has jumped on it before altho I suspect she had a little help since it's kind of high and she could hurt her back. But any object in her way will stop her. Funny she's so smart in some ways but doesn't understand she could easily get around the objects:?: I'm glad though.

It's a nice warm day again...suppose to get into the 80s again...so dh is bathing Halo outside. I bought her an oatmeal shampoo plus we will continue our usual routine with baking soda and maybe a dilute vinegar rinse at the end. I think we do a better job than Petsmart!

Sandy/Carole - We don't eat instant rice. I used to keep a little on hand for those times I forgot to put the rice to cooking or for fast meals, but we almost never used it so I stopped buying it. I don't mind instant but dh really doesn't like it. I have to say for fried rice, I do prefer white rice over brown. Otherwise I like brown. Dh likes his rice much stickier than I and sometimes if it's too sticky It tastes like starch to me, and I can't eat it. We try to compromise by using just slightly more water than 2 cups (to 1 c rice) but not much more if that makes sense.:dizzy: When I used to make straight brown rice, I needed a bit more water though and that was one of the problems with mixing the two rice types...one would get softer and the other a bit too crunchy. I like one or the other not mixed.

Sandy - Sad to hear about your dh's sister. She's had a long life but it's still not easy to have so many things happen physically. I pray she will go easily and at peace when the time comes. It would be nice if you could all talk on the phone before then.

Karrine - Continuing to pray for Nan, for healing and strength to get through all the treatments. And for you too..I'm glad you are there for her but it must be very hard on you too both physically and emotionally. How old is she (if you don't think she would mind your telling us)? My mammogram wasn't bad..they have a new 3D machine now that slides down and squeezes hard, but then a second later moves and the pressure is eased so easier to stay there while the picture is taken. So better than it used to be and I have sensitive breasts. She had to retake one but I don't think it was because of any concern. Should get the result by mail in a few days.

Glynne - You got a lot done while on your roll at least. This week I hadn't gotten far with the extra tasks but caught up yesterday except for mopping the kitchen floor. Our gs was still up and working on his computer at the table so I didn't want to disturb him. I'll probably get to it today as well as wipe down the table and chairs. If not there's always tomorrow, but we will be going out for a while so today is best. Also need to weekly clean the living room. Flylady calls the weekly cleaning...which is a quick dusting of surfaces, cleaning glass (mirrors, glass doors etc) and vacuuming/mopping middle of floors the weekly home blessing. Everything is just done very quickly and is not a detailed cleaning. I like the idea of blessing my home and it really doesn't take me very long but it's already 12:21 so I need to get to it.

Good morning everyone,
Today is laundry day and I also want to spot shampoo some dirt spots on my living room carpet. I think it will soon be time to have a professional in to clean my whole living room/dining room area. Now that Nan can't do the jobs she always did I need to rethink and create a schedule for cleaning the house myself. Nan always love gardening too but that will all be up to me now. She is still trying to do things and I let her but usually have to help a little bit. For instance she can wash dishes (I don't have a dishwasher) but no longer can put the dishes back into the cupboard as she can't reach that high with her bad arms. We went to her Bank yesterday so she could get her signing authority on her accounts checked out and found that all was in order.

Carol Glad you are feeling better. At our age we have to be alert with any changes to our body.

Gayle You will really like your stick vacuum. I almost bought a 2nd one last week because they were on sale for half price.

Sandy I really envy you at being able to walk 3/4 of a mile. That's great that your eating habits improved lately. So sorry to hear about Jennie and her brain tumor. It is too bad there is such a distance between you.

Mary Your chicken pot pies sound yummy because I love chicken. Glad your mammogram went well. I have mine scheduled for this coming Tuesday morning. Nan will be 79 years old this August. She doesn't mind anyone knowing how old she is.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine