Bobbie Do you join me at fussing at the drivers who tail gate, or stop and turn abruptly, or drive too fast in the neighborhood with so many walkers? My plan for Lent has been to STOP fussing at them. I do smile when I see a dog enjoying the wind out the car window. Dogs are so easy to love!!!

CarolSue You told me something I didn't know too be grateful for. My larger bottom has a good thing about it. Thanks.

Gail I copied the recipe and will try it. We are trying to eat less meat and that sounds like a way to do it.

Today is a day of itching all over. Especially inside my ears. Grrrr Good thing Pat is at Potter class so she doesn't have to put up with my griping. DH is so sweet, he is frustrated he "Can't fix it."

Mary May today be better.

Alyssa, our granddaughter is in surgery this morning. Still no text that she is out yet. I pray she will no longer have the abdominal pain she has suffered with for so long. She DOES have narcolepsy and the medicine to help it has a delightful side effect of helping irritable bowel syndrome that is the result of doctor prescribing medicine for a a disease she DOES NOT HAVE. She took it for years and it caused the intestines to be damaged. Grrrrrr. This gal deservies to have a life free of medical problems.

Sandy

Dh went fishing early this morning. I spent a lot of time online yesterday shopping LulaRoe so trying not to do that today. I cancelled a couple orders for tops because I realized I'd purchased too large a size and am not exactly sure what size I need in that top. It is very loose and long and they advise you to order down 1-2 sizes. I suspect a Lg will fit but DD says I tried it on and thought it was too long, so I'm going to try it again at her house now that I'm getting more used to leggings (well sorta).

I want to do some things I've had trouble getting to today if I can. My printer pinhead needs cleaning as my printer is not printing and says that's the problem. First time I've had to do that so hopes it works. Also need to make up menus and a grocery list before I go out.

I slept easier last night and slept in...the pain/discomfort is still there but so far today it is not too bad. I told them about the abd discomfort (2 drs) and one referred me to the other and that one said it was just because of my large abdomen on my small frame, but I will go back if it doesn't get better and at least will mention it at my next routine appt.

Sandy/Bobbi - I too love to see a dog with his head out the car window getting all the wind...I want to do that too when I have a hot flash!:D As you know I have the itch problem too...even in my ears also...what causes that?!!
So sorry about your granddaughter...doctors help but sometimes the treatment hurts us in another way. I have cataracts now because of meds I took for Iritis. Of course we tend to get them as we age but this started them early.

I probably don't give Halo enough love. She is SO needy and whines so much...but sometimes if I stop and love her a little it helps..and other times she just never gets enough. I do let her on the love seat so she can look out the window for a while each day but now she wants to be there earlier in the morning and to stay late at night just sleeping. this morning she got me up and walked right to the living room door...no question what she wanted! I make her go into the fam room where at least one of us is later in the day but it is hard for her to settle down..when she does it's ok. Even when we finally get her on her bed she'll got round and round about 8 times or more before she finally is ready to lie down. She wants to be on the sofa with me which we don't allow. When we are not in there we have to keep something on each sitting place so she doesn't get on them. Doesn't look so good but it sure helps. I guess I sound mean, she's a good dog but she is very stinky.

Glynne - Thanks for the recipe. I'll try it, but I'll cut it in half for just the two of us. Not sure if dh will like the quinoa...he's tasted it but prefers rice. But I think he'll try it at least. He likes soup/stew like dishes with rice. However we don't care for canned tomatoes...wonder if I could get by with just the tomato sauce? I have done that in other recipes with success. I love beans, dh not so much but he will eat them now and then. At least he has his implant fixed now so he can eat better.

Karrine - I hope they can figure out what's going on with your ankle. Sometimes ice is better than heat. Don't leave either on too long at a time as it can make things worse...esp heat. They usually advise no longer than 20 min. I know it is hard to use ice when it is already cold. I probably should lay on ice for my back but haven't gotten myself to do it yet. When my back hurts I usually start laying on ice for 10 min (on floor with pillow or rolled towel under my neck). If I do that 1-2 times a day it seems to help.

Well need to get busy...

I am also itchy all over all the time, and also in my ears! I blame it on my psoriasis, but you guys don't have that, so maybe it's something else. Itching is a symptom of a lot of medical conditions that I don't even want to think about. My step-son has it too, and he's only 50.

Mary, I have a very large abdomen on a smallish frame and I don't get that pain.

Sandy, we recently saw a woman who was both talking on her phone and eating a hamburger while driving, and also had a dog on her lap with his head out the window. Texting is against the law in PA, but talking on the phone is not. I don't think having the dog on your lap is a good idea, either.

Yeah, I am not sure I think it's just cause of my abd now either. At first when it was just a little discomfort in my upper abd I thought perhaps because I was rapidly gaining weight but what I've had the last couple days was way beyond that. When it hurt in front I also thought It could be my hernia even though I've never hurt there before...and the previous time when I had it on the left side it eventually moved down and seemed to be gas. It could also just be my neck and back issues since it is more in the back now than the front..and the pain is very like what I had before...not sure that would cause the mild pain/discomfort in my front though. Never had that before and it seemed to start with that. Or maybe it's a couple different things...oh well doubt they will do anything now, if things get worse, maybe I can get the doctor to check more thoroughly.

On the itching...you may remember my dermatologist I went to for my itchy scalp and ears a year or so ago, told me since the treatment wasn't working, she wanted to send me to a neurologist. At the time I didn't know why and I declined. Then later did some research and found probably what you found.
Then I went to that dermatologist physician assistant and he offered a chest xray, again I declined and he agreed, saying it was just something they had to offer (the clinics) and that I seemed pretty healthy. I do have a gene that tends to cause inflammatory conditions...some of which are very bad conditions, but I didn't tell him that. I didn't like the guy and he kept calling me..I wanted to be rid of him. ;) I will tell my regular doctor next time I see him. I doubt it plays a part but you never know. The fact that most of you are itchy now too also makes me doubt it.

Oh my that's dangerous...the woman driving with phone, eating and dog! It is against the law to use a phone at all (while holding it) while driving here. Hands free is ok except for newer drivers I think.

Well my day turned out not to be so busy afterall...dh wants to go shopping with me tomorrow so I won't go today. Tomorrow will be very busy though. He has dr appt in the am and I will have to go with him cause we will do our grocery shopping after that, then later in the afternoon we are going to the movie, Risen. Sounds very interesting and I hope it is as good as advertised. After that we will need dinner either out or home. I will be tired by then. :dizzy:

Good morning everyone,
My doctor's office called me yesterday afternoon to tell me that my ankle x-ray turned out to be normal. I was really hoping that it would show a small hair line fracture or something like that so we would know what to do to heal it but I guess it is still just the tendon damage and I'll have to wait longer for it to heal. The doctor has, although, suggested I go to a physiotherapist which I will do but that kind of scares me as any manipulation of my ankle would really hurt right now. At any rate, I just hope and pray that this will one day be over with and that I'm not looking at a lifetime of ankle problems. We have a big winter storm warning for here today and tomorrow. I hope it isn't too bad.

Carol We have a good Health Care Plan here in Canada but the biggest drawback to that is wait times to see a specialist and hospital emergency rooms. I guess it is all worth the wait seeing as how most things are free including most medications. We have to pay or have separate coverage for dental; physiotherapy; chiropractors etc.

Sandy and Mary I too have been very itchy for the past couple of months no matter how much lotion I put on. For me, I think it is the dryness in the air and hope it goes away once summer comes. I've never had this problem in past winters. Sorry to hear that your GD has had to have surgery. How did it go? A long time ago I was on a medication for 2 years that eventually had the effect of ruining my stomach lining. One thing creates another with medication at times.

Mary If I had leggings I would want long tops too to cover my butt. I hope you end up getting what you like and glad you are getting used to the leggings. It sounds like Halo is quite a handful for you. I don't think I could take care of a pet especially taking it for a walk everyday. Thank you for the advice on heat and ice for my ankle. I was keeping the heat on longer than 20 minutes but won't do that anymore. I hope you do go to the doctor to check out more thoroughly the pains you have been having.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine:)

Karrine, we don't take our dog for walks. The first time I tried that I dropped the leash and he took off. It took 2 hours to find him. He doesn't walk well, weaves back and forth and I'm afraid I will trip on the leash. I see other people walking their dogs and they stay right with them. Not Rusty. I think he gets plenty of exercise following me around the house all day. LOL He loves to be with mommy. I think it's the type of dog Halo is and the fact that she's older that makes her the way she is. And she's bigger.

In a way it's good to know you don't have a fracture, but then it's annoying that your ankle has been hurting for so long with no relief. That's the way my elbow was for so long, and it went away by itself. Just hurts a little now and then. But it's worse with an ankle because you need to be able to walk. I think with physical therapy, they know how to manipulate the joint in such a way to not cause much pain. I went there once for my shoulder and it actually felt good.

Mary, it does sound as if the itching might have something to do with our age. I always blame mine on my psoriasis, but I've had this for years and it wasn't always itchy, not until the past few years. Lotion doesn't help, in fact some lotions make it itch more. Mine seems to itch more at night and hydrocortisone cream helps. I think it could be caused by high blood sugar, too. They make some lotions that are formulated for diabetics but I tried one and it didn't do any different.

When they passed the law about texting a couple years ago we thought they should include talking too, but they didn't. We still see people texting when sitting at red lights, etc. I don't know how they would catch anyone. Mostly they are in an accident and they discover they were texting at the time.

Help, someone stop me...I am SO addicted to LulaRoe!! Can't stop buying! Thank goodness today is the final day of the 10 consultant online party! I think I have bought 2 tops and 3 prs leggings. I didn't write it down so I may have forgotten something. They will invoice me tonight and that will bring it all home to me!:o They were selling so fast that many I wanted I couldn't get, but I am trying to remember that my dd will likely have them at some point. Don't want to go overboard but the other things in my closet look so dowdy to me now. LulaRoe has such pretty colors and patterns.

Today is a busy day as I knew it would be....started at the podiatrist with dh. He decided I should go in with him due to his hearing and I was glad I did. His circulation is still good but he does have some neurology and it bothers him quite a lot...doesn't hurt but annoys him as his feet tingle/burn/over warm and he has to keep them out of the covers plus probably doesn't help his sleep. So they gave him a pill I've never heard of to help that and said it will make him drowsy so will probably help him sleep too. Wonder if it would work for my hot flashes!!

Then he also accepted a medication for his foot fungus. He will only take it for three months but it is supposed to keep working after that. We waited almost an hour to see the doctor and then waited 15 min at least in the room before he came in. So we got off to a later start on our day than expected, but then I'm sure he did too. After that we went grocery shopping two stores and also made a quick stop at Walgreens. Had a couple other stops to make but dh was getting tired and achy so we came home. Poor Halo will be in the cage a lot today...letting her run now...but will soon be going to the theater so she'll be back in it. She goes in well (for dh at least, I haven't tried recently) now but she tries to hide when she knows we are getting ready to go out. When it's cold we leave her inside and just shut off the rooms we don't want her in, but it's nice and warm today.

Karrine - Glad no fracture, and I agree it probably just will need a while to heal. As we age, it takes longer I notice. My shoulder was reinjured in Dec 2011 and it still hurts.

Today in the grocery store I saw an older woman wearing leggings. She looked very nice in them so I went over and told her so. I told her of my struggle to wear them ...want to but feel too old etc. She said she decided, "I'm old...I'm gonna wear what I want." I'm coming around to that kind of thinking...I have always applied this concept to other ways of dressing and until I got so fat (and even some now) I have worn things some might think are too youthful, but for some reason I have struggled with the leggings thing. Don't think I will anymore as she encouraged me.

Need to rest for a while before the movie. Have a good evening.

Good afternoon (was afternoon when I started this, but now evening) GG's,

It is a nice sun shiny day today, but a bit chilly.

Kind of tired. Maddie has been sick the last couple days and has been with us part of the time. She stayed the other night and was up every couple hours or so. So, I didn't sleep well either. I was surprised though that after not getting much sleep on Monday night, that I got all the cooking done that I did on Tuesday after Maddie went home.

I have been kind of antsy/frustrated this afternoon and did a little munching. I had talked here before about maybe getting a pedometer/step counter so at least if I didn't do any formal exercise, I could see how I was doing with my steps and maybe by looking at what I had racked up on the pedometer, do something to add on some more steps. I read on line about how different ones were rated, and I found one that had an affordable price and was said to be accurate, on Amazon, so ordered it. I have had ones before, but there was difference even between two of those ~ so I never really knew how many steps I was doing or which one was the real amount. I was excited ~ it came today, but then disappointed. Isn't doesn't seem to be anymore accurate than the olds ones I had. Just opening the little door to check the steps adds a couple steps to it. And pulling pants up and down to go to the bathroom adds steps. Thank goodness it wasn't very costly. I don't want to tell Steve that I am disappointed with it ~ I don't think he thought it was a good purchase to start with. Maybe I can still find some way to use it to help somehow. I could jiggle my waist band up and down a lot so it looks like I did a whole lot of steps ~ LOL. Just kidding.

The other frustrating thing ~ I got an email that gave directions for being able to access the patient portal of my new doctor (the rheumatologist). A lot of the doctors have them now ~ I love them. You can look at them and see your lab/test results. You can send messages and questions to your doctor. There are other things you can do, I haven't tried some of them. I had asked the fellow at the front desk if they have a portal when I was there the other day, he said no. Well then this email came and I figured maybe he just didn't know. So, I followed the steps as given in the email ~ you could use a code word that it said could be gotten from your doctor, or give your birthdate and phone number and this company would text you a code number. I figured since the guy the other day didn't know anything about a patient portal, that I probably wouldn't be able to get a code number from them, so I tried the option to have a code number texted to my phone. I tried several times and got nothing. Grrrrr.

One of the other things I ordered from Amazon came today also ~ I think will be fun. It is a book to be filled out for your grandchild telling things about yourself. I got it not for that purpose (well maybe I will use it like that eventually) but for my sister and I to try to answer the questions with as much as we can remember about our mom and dad and grandparents ~ while we are still able to remember stuff. I had bought a book for each mom and dad a while back with those kind of questions for them to fill out and answer. I sent those to them and hoped they would fill them out. Mom put them away and they never did get around to filling them out. I thought maybe when I visited, we could get them out and work on them, and I asked her if we could do that, but she couldn't remember where she had put them. In hindsight, I should have kept them with me and when mom and I or dad and I were on the phone, I could have asked the questions and written the answers. Oh well.

Bobbi ~ your comment about liking dogs better than people sometimes made me smile, it is how my sister's boyfriend feels too.

Mary ~ enjoy the movie tonight. It doesn't sound like you went too wild buying the new outfits.

Carol Sue ~ your thing about the woman driving, texting, eating and a dog in her lap, brought back a similar sort of memory from a few years back. The nurse who taught our child birth class was the wife of one of the doctors at the hospital where I worked. She kind of prided herself in being able to drive a stick shift while nursing her baby. They were hippie era kind of people.

Karrine ~ glad your ankle isn't broken, but sorry for the frustration of it still hurting and not knowing how to help it get better.

Sandy ~ how did things go for your granddaughter? Hope it went well.

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

Good morning everyone,
We had slushy wet snow yesterday so I was unable to use the snowblower. I ended up going out four times to clear the driveway of heavy slush.....really good for my ankle eh? It had to be cleared or it would have been thick ice when temperature went below freezing again last night. We are to have snow today. I've been taking a lot of tylenol which helps. I'm making hamburger hash with mashed potatoes and veggie today for supper and hope to just rest for the remainder of the day.

Carol I hope my ankle heals in time like your elbow did.

Mary Ok....STOP buying anything else LOL. I bet you'll have a whole new wardrobe by the time you are finished. Actually I looked up LuluRoe on the internet and we can purchase this brand here in Canada too. Wow....some of those leggings sure are colorful with all the different patterns.

Gayle So sorry about your new pedometer not working as you hoped it would. I purchased a very good one a few years back and it keeps good track of my steps but I haven't been using it since I hurt my ankle. That is really too bad that those memory books you purchased aren't being used. As a genealogist it is so important to write down stories that will be an interesting read 100 years from now.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Gayle, I don't have a lot of information about my parents, and there's no one else left who would remember. About 5 miles from me is a short street with only 4 houses. My mother and all her siblings were literally born in one of those houses and lived there until she was teenage when they moved. I remember when I was young she showed me which house it was but now I don't remember. My cousin told me he had a picture of himself in front of the house and was going to show me the picture, but he never did, and now he has passed. I've mentioned it to his wife but never heard anything. I would love to know which house it was. They are all over 100 years old and are two story 4 room houses. I have no idea how they had 11 children in that house!!!! I think the older ones were moving out as the younger ones were being born.

Mary, if you like these clothes and you have the money to pay for them, go for it!! I know it always makes me feel good to be wearing a new outfit. You seem to go a lot of places where you can wear them. I hope you're feeling better and your pain is subsiding. Glad to hear that DH got his new teeth and now can eat better. I don't have any tingling or burning in my feet, but I like to have them hanging out of the covers at night, up to my knee. Then if I get cold I pull them back in for a while. DH keeps the house too warm for my liking at night, but he doesn't like to use covers.

Gayle, I don't think any of the fitness trackers/pedometers are completely accurate. I have read reviews where people complain about the ones they bought for a lot of money. I have a Fitbit, and I am OK with it not being perfect. I can see days when I am a lot more active than other days and that's all I need to know. My friend has one and she says it gives her incentive to move more, but not me! I just like to see how much I moved, but don't do anything to increase it. LOL

Karrine, we are supposed to get some snow today. We have to take our dog for his haircut, but it's only about a mile from our house, so I'm not concerned.

I've had trouble getting this post typed...keep being interrupted, but I'll try again. Our garage door broke and we are getting a new one. This one is so old and the frame and everything is unstable after almost 50 years. Dh wants it done now so if he leaves me first I hopefully won't have to deal with it. It will be white and we are getting windows shaped similar to the one in our new door. They are to install in on Mon.

We enjoyed the movie last night...it was from a different perspective than most movies of it's kind and I liked that. It stayed basically with the Biblical story and although they had to add on a lot of stuff to make the story, it seemed plausible. I had my usual movie "food," so didn't eat dinner afterwards, but later ate later. My weight was up another 1/2# this morning which I expected but as usual after eating candy?? my bs was the much better than usual! Very strange.

My parents home in my home town in KS was sold many years ago after my mom died and my dad married again. I think it was sold to some of her family. We have driven by since then and I think I could still find it unless they've changed it a lot. It's amazing how many people lived in just a few rooms then. Of course in many parts of the world it is still like that and even in less rooms!

I have often thought I'd like to get a Fitbit but I'm also concerned about accuracy and like Carol, I doubt it would really help me move more. Just getting myself to eat more intentionally has been a real challange for me, still need to work on the moving part. Can't remember the last time we've been to the gym...seems like it's always something to keep us from it. Now and then I do exercise at home. Tues I walked with Leslie Sansone for about 15 min. I plan to do some exercises today.

Carol - I do feel rather invigorated by having some new clothes! I think I'd kinda given up on looking good. I think that is partly what has inspired me to eat more intentionally even and I hope it continues. Even just losing these few pounds has made me look and feel better.

Glynne - I hope you can use the clinic portal. I love ours...it's called My Chart and they send us an email with the link when they want us to check it for something.. the visit summary or labs etc. I also can message my doctor and he is really good at getting back to me. My previous clinic had a portal too but they didn't respond and toward the end I couldn't even access it.

Well I have my kitchen floor 1/2 mopped..then got interrupted by my dil borrowing the vac, then dh and the service man about the garage. My goal for today was to clean all the floors - quick mopping and vacuuming, straightening up the bottom of our closet and straightening and polishing the bedside tables. Also need do some laundry. May not get to all of it now. We were also going to do a little shopping but it's a beautiful sunshiny day and now dh has decided to work in the yard so think I'll stay home and work too.

You all have a good day!

Good news!!! Our granddaughter came home from intensive surgery in the city. When I talked with her today she sounds very up beat, but I'm sure she need pain pills still. They removed her womb and it was diseased!!! Thank God she
didn't have to continue with it inside her. The GYN will have a reason to put on the report when asked why she removed a womb of a gal in her 20's. DGD told one doctor. "I wish you men had a womb that hurt every day then you wouldn't be telling us to put up with it. You'd do the right thing for yourselves!!!"

Feeling so thankful. Sandy

Good morning everyone,
We are supposed to have warmer temperatures here tomorrow and I hope so cause then the snow on my driveway will melt. It is almost the end of the month and today is "treat day" for me. A friend and I are going to a restaurant that serves very good fish and chips and I might even have a drink. I didn't sleep last night because my tenant had an ultra sound on a lump in her neck gland at 1:30 yesterday afternoon and then at 6:00 pm she got a call from her doctor's office (pretty fast) that she is being sent for a CT Scan on her neck and also a bone scan. She is also being referred to a cancer doctor to do a biopsy on the lump. It has been 6 years now since she had breast cancer and we thought she was ok. Please keep her in your prayers that this will turn out to be ok.

Carol I hope you can find out what house your mother lived in. I often drive by my mom's house but I really shouldn't because it is being let go and is starting to look awful.

Mary Give yourself and DH a treat and get an automatic garage door opener installed. I had mine installed when I purchased this house over 30 years ago and don't know what I would do without it.

Sandy So glad that your GD is home from her serious surgery. She sure is young to have had to have her womb removed which is rather sad.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Sandy, I'm so glad your granddaughter is home and feeling much better. If she was having so much trouble then the surgery was necessary, even at her age.

Mary, we got a new garage door last year. Our old one was the original form 44 years ago. It was wooden and wasn't insulated. We replaced it with one that is insulated and the garage is much warmer now in the winter, and therefore, the parts of the house above it are warmer. DH likes to spend a lot of time putzing in the garage so it's nice for him that it's warmer. We have an automatic door opener and it works much better with the new door since that old wooden door was very heavy. I know your winters aren't as cold as ours, but you still might notice a difference.

Karrine, I will pray for your tenant that she does not have cancer. Many lumps are non-cancerous.

Yesterday I did manage to get most of my work done that I'd planned to do...except I didn't vac all the floors. Today is my day to tie up any loose ends...so will do what I can on that plus need to return a package at the PO. It's a top I bought from jane.com...it's too tight in the sleeves. I got another one yesterday thats really cute but is a tiny bit tight in the sleeves..think I'll keep it though. I wore it yesterday with my valentine leggings and thought it looked ok. No top will look really good until I get rid of this big belly.:^: Speaking of, We got pizza last night and I ate too much and my weight was up two pounds today! I hope mostly it is water due to all the sodium and will drop off soon. I'll try and be more careful today.

The door guy just arrived to finish our door finally.

Carol - That would be nice if it warms our garage more as dh also spends a lot of time out there. Since I'm so warm I don't notice the cold so much but he sometimes sets up our fan heater when he's out there.

Karrine - Hoping for the best for your tenant....I too will pray for her. We do have a garage opener..have for years and we really appreciate it too.

Sandy - Glad the surgery is over and that it went well. Hoping your gd heals quickly.

I'm feeling so great!! DH and I went to visit our Granddaughter and she is smiling, happy and doing the best I've seen her in years. Still sore from surgery, but rid of the organ that was causing her to feel as if she was in labor 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Great improvement in just a few days. They are removing many of the medicines she was on. Gradually she will be down to very few. The meds themselves caused damage to her intestines that may or may not improve now. We'll see.

We had such a good visit!!! Sure love that gal.

Karrine May your tenant be found free of cancer. May we all be so blessed to be free of the horrible C.

Mary Horray for new garage doors.

We had fish and chips for supper after the visit. Wish it tasted as good as I remembered. Have not had it in ages. Not likely to have again either. All places to eat are so far away that we like to take advantage of being out near choices to eat and keep from cooking. Will choose better next time.

Good morning everyone,
I went out for my "treat" day yesterday and my friend an I invited a lady (86 yrs. old) to join us which she did. I did have the fish and chips which were very good. Back to the diet again though today. Today is laundry day so that will keep me busy this morning. Nothing else to tell today.

Have a good weekend
Karrine

Went to our gs' martial arts class this morning. He's getting better, but I saw him yawning so think he was a bit sleepy. He's so proud of his belt he got recently. Our son leaves for China Monday so glad we got to be there to say goodbye too. He often drops by on Sun but since he'll be getting ready to go he may not have time.

We stopped at Target and I bought a new blender. I haven't tried it yet but I really like the looks of it..higher quality than any I've had and fits easily under my cupboards. It is an Oster 1200 Pro Blender Plus Smoothie Cup. I don't need the smoothie cup really but it came with it. Can't wait to try it but I stopped at a new coffee shop for a free drink so am too full right now. :)

Stopped at Walmart for milk and at the PO to return a package, so busy morning but now home for rest of day.

The door guy (front door) came yesterday but he discovered while the door is in balance, our house is not, so he could not do anything. He was going to put a strip in that we could paint temporarily but realized it would not look good. So now it is still unfinished (outside sides and top), until we get siding. He says once they pull off the old siding, then he will come back and finish it. We are saving for the siding, and it will take a while. Ironically, I always thought we should get the siding first, but both my dh and one of the men from Lowes or Home Depot that came out to give us an estimate said, no the door should be installed first. It's frustrating but we've learned a lot and hopefully it will be done right before long. From a distance the door already looks nice, it's just up close it doesn't look finished. While the man was here, I expressed our disappointment in the lack of professionalism he and the company have shown to us in regard to this purchase. I told him I wasn't sure whether it was him or just the company's fault but he did tell us HE would call when the parts came in and make an appt. He said the parts came in last week....I told him no, that is not true because the company told us they were in when dh called, but he (dh) has been the one to call all the time, no one ever calls us. Dh was even the one who had to call to set up this appt. I feel they should know how we feel and that this is not right. This man also works for another company installing siding and we were even considering him for that when we have the money...dh even asked him for a bid...but now I'm not so sure. From our experience a lot of companies do not operate with a lot of professionalism, but I prefer to have someone we can depend on if we can find one.

I'm reading a new book called The Evening Spider, sort of a pyschological suspense and crime story. The characters aren't especially appealing to me but I'm hoping I will enjoy it more as it goes along. Still reading the other two books I have mentioned as well. Really enjoying the book called God Knows my Size. I usually read one book on my Ipad, one in the bathroom/tub, one in my bedroom (devotional/inspirational) at the same time.

Karrine - Glad you enjoyed your fish and chips. GFY that you are able to just keep it to one treat a week. My problem is if I let go at all I am liable to overdo. My dd (who is not overweight), does what you do...she has one meal a week where she eats sensibly but outside her usual eating plan, and then gets right back on-plan/usual way of eating. I wish I could do that. Maybe one day:dizzy:

Sandy - So happy for your dd to be free of that diseased organ! And for you too as it's a worry to us too when our kids are hurting/sick. Sounds like you have really good relationships with your dds. That's wonderful. One of my kids (the one I seldom see or hear from) is in Costa Rica studying natural medicines. I am not sure whether she sleeps in a tent or a hut/cottage but she said there are howling monkeys above her. She's and adventurous gal and I love her, but we don't talk often. I'm in frequent contact with the other three.

Hi Carol, Bobbi -everyone have a good weekend!

Good afternoon GG's,

It has been a very tiring few days. Maddie was sick and missed school all week and was with us ~ sometimes all night long too. Her brother was sick and missed all week too. Sara was afraid to take Maddie home, for fear she'd get what Corbin had. She behaved fine. Usually she goes home when mom gets home from work and then we can relax a little. But she was with us 24/7 sometimes and while we are glad to help Sara out, it is tiring. Feeling kind of wiped out now.

It has been a nice sun shiny day today.

Mary ~ sorry for the hard time you all have had with that door. Glad you got to go watch your grandson's class.

Karrine ~ your treat meal sounds yummy. Glad you enjoyed that. Prayers sent up for your tenant lady.

Sandy ~ glad your granddaughter is feeling better after her surgery.

Carol Sue ~ I guess I will just kind of use my pedometer (even though it is not as accurate as I had hoped it would be) as kind of a guide as to how active I have been each day. I guess it would depend on how peppy I feel as to rather I would take any action (do something to add steps) if it showed that I had been less active that day.

Maybe it is a good thing I am kind of tired out ~ you all won't be subjected to some long saga from me.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Glynne - I'm sorry I just realized I forgot to say hi to you in my post! Didn't mean to slight you, was thinking I'd responded to you already I guess. It is very tiring having gc too long! Hope you can enjoy some alone/adult time this weekend.

Good morning everyone,
Today is reporting day for me and my weight stayed the same last week. I guess I overdid it a bit. Thank you everyone for your prayers for my tenant. I imagine she will get dates for her tests this week. My ankle is hurting too much to go to church today so I'll be in my recliner chair reading for a long time.

Mary Hope you enjoy your new blender. Sorry you are still having problems with your doorway and I don't blame you for telling the man about your disappointment. My "treat day" is just once a month and not weekly or I would never lose any weight. I just have so many points a week so I can't go over my point allotment if I want to lose anything especially now since I'm not exercising. I used to dine out a lot and do miss it as I don't especially like cooking so the once a month is really something to look forward to. I can have a little fast food as long as I know the points which is easy to look up on the internet.

Gayle That is wonderful that you help Sara out with the children. I think I would be very tired out too to have little ones around for 24/7. Hope you aren't as tired today.

Hello to everyone else and have a good Sunday,
Karrine

Hi everyone. It looks like it's going to be a nice day today.

Gayle, We watch our grandson overnight occasionally, but not very often. He is good, but likes to stay up late, and DH lets him. I am accustomed to going to bed early. His other grandparents are in their mid 70s. They often keep him for days at a time. I don't know how they do it, but they have done it with other grandchildren for years. They even take him camping once in a while. I think since I never raised a child that young I just don't know what to do. I don't have the patience.

Mary, I looked at your blender online and it looks nice. Hope it works out well for you. I, too, am sorry to hear you have had so much trouble with your door. I hope you can get your siding soon. Your house will look so nice with new siding, a new door, and a new garage door!

Sandy, how is your granddaughter doing? I hope she's feeling better day by day.

Karrine, I was trying to remember how your sore ankle started. Did you do something to hurt it, or did it just start hurting? One time I took an antibiotic and tendonitis was one of the side effects. I think that was the root of all the trouble I've had, but my doctor says no. They will never admit that something was caused by a medicine, but it said right in the prescription insert that it can cause tendonitis.

CarolSue and others Our Granddaughter is feeling better day by day. It will take another week to rid her body of some of the medication that were necessary before. She is sleeping better at night, thank goodness.

Pat went for a hike with a friend after Church today. She does love the ability to be active outside now that she is out of snow country in Oregon. Her latest painting, 24 in. by 36 in. is of horses going to greener pasture. It is breath taking!!!
She loves working with oil paints, but it takes forever to dry This painting as been sent by email to be entered into juried exhibit. Hope she gets accepted. By then the painting will be completely dry.

DH and I watched Michigan State basketball as Coach Izzo's team defeated Penn State by a huge margin. Sorry Carol Sue. We've been for this college for ages even tho no one in our family attended it.

Mary Remodeling is such a pain. Sorry the door doesn't really look as good as you wanted. Understand having to take things slowly now that we are retired.

Yesterday DH climbed the ladder to remove the two electrical fixture over the stone fireplace. He has done electrical work for ages, thank goodness. Hate to think what it would have cost to hire it done. He can still climb the ladder at 82 and I'm used to being his assistant in his many projects. How much better the fireplace looks now. I'll try to take picture and put on here tomorrow.

Karrine Did you find a good book? I finished one last night by author I liked years ago. I was disappointed that she has aged in a way that left a sour taste in my mouth. Won't read her again.

Sandy

Good morning,
We are under a winter storm watch for Tuesday and Wednesday. I hope it isn't too bad. I guess I'll go to the drugstore today before the bad weather gets here. I'm just having left overs for dinner tonight.

Carol Back at the beginning of January I hurt my ankle by overdoing it shoveling snow. I have a friend whose son hurt his ankle and it took 4 months for it to heal. I guess because you can't get away from using it, it takes longer to heal.

Sandy Pat's oil painting sounds awesome and I hope she wins the exhibit. I love anything to do with horses and when my daughter was young I used to send her to horse camp every summer where she had her very own horse for 2 weeks. Right now I am reading David Baldacci's King and Maxwell Series. I like mystery/suspense books.

Hello to everyone and have a good day,
Karrine

Good morning GG's,

Here we are at Monday again. Not that it makes that much difference not that I am retired. Except I guess that on weekends, Maddie is home with Sara, so we get a little “time off” from kid watching duties.

Saturday, Maddie was feeling better enough and she and Sara went and spent the day and Maddie overnight with a friend of Sara's who has a little girl Maddie's age that she enjoys playing with.

Jason came over to help Steve get some pine needles off the roof. There was an uncomfortable part where Sara popped back in to drop something off and Jason was here. The two of them used to be like best friends, but had a falling out ~ guess it has been a couple years now. They haven't seen each other or spoken to each other since that time and Jason has been going to great lengths to make sure he doesn't run into her. So when Sara came, Steve headed her off and Jason quick came in the house so they only caught a glimpse of each other ~ nothing else. But that was enough to really upset Jason and make for an uncomfortable rest of the afternoon.

Not feeling too good ~ I think last week kind of got me run down and my RA meds make my resistance to fight off stuff less. Kind of a little stuffed up, sorish throat, a bit of a cough, sneezy at times. Sometimes kind of hot, then feeling chilly. I thought if I could get some sleep, I'd feel better, but haven't been sleeping that great. Guess it will pass.

Karrine ~ sorry your ankle is still bothering. I wondered if maybe something like an aircast would provide more support to help your ankle. I was playing around on here and came across your picture on your profile ~ nice to be able to put a face with the name.

Sandy ~ glad your granddaughter is feeling better. Your daughter's painting sounds lovely. Glad you got to enjoy the basket ball game this weekend.

Carol Sue and Mary ~ hope you had a nice weekend.

I've been up since 4:30 ~ maybe I can get a nap in a bit.

Hope you all are having a good day.

Went to church yesterday, I'd missed three Sundays so glad to get back. We went to an Indian restaurant for lunch but didn't enjoy it so much, I think we are just tired of all the regular restaurants, need to branch out more. Soon after we got home, our son and his fam dropped by. He left this am for China on another business trip.

The man is here installing our garage door. I would think it would be at least a two man job but it's just him. I plan to clean the living room thoroughly today and whatever else I have time for.

I really like my new blender! It's the best one I've ever had. In the past I tried a couple more expensive ones but returned them, but this is the most expensive I've kept ($70+tax). I have only had a chance to use it once, however. I made a smoothie with nf milk, strawberries, Trop 50 OJ, a banana and about a tablespoon of french vanilla Slim Fast powder. It was very good! My only problem is that I have had trouble removing the blender jar from the base, I have given up and just tipped it to pour it into a glass and both times it then released as I tipped it. I know it's probably just something I'm not doing right and hopefully will figure it out soon. It blends well and very quickly...ice is nothing to this machine which is important to me. I don't have any mocha mix right now so haven't been able to make my mochas.

My itchiness is about to drive me crazy! My head, my ears, my underarms...one underarm is even red and hurts from my scratching and using deodorant. I even switched to a natural deodorant that seems like it would be very gentle. I've been hoping as the weather warms up perhaps it will go away, however my head itched through all the seasons for a few years now, only the other areas are new. Between the itching and my off and on back pain, I feel like a mess again. Thankful things aren't worse but have just felt kinda on edge because of it.

Glynne - It's sad when family does not get along. Hopefully in time they will get past this.

Karrine - I hurt my shoulder at the gym several years ago and it took two years to heal. Then I re-injured it in Dec 2011 and it's hurt ever since. I was going to PT for my back at the time so they included it in the treatment and I was in PT for three or four months. PT helped my back, but while my shoulder improved it still hurts and it's been over four years now. I still cannot lie on it for more than a few seconds usually but sometimes in the mornings, I can lie on it for a few minutes. If I lay on it more than that, it will ache for a while afterwards. When I'm up though it doesn't hurt much anymore, as long as I'm careful how I move it. I too like mystery books. Not sure I've read any by the names you mentioned, but I do recognize one of the names. I'll check them out. All I need is more books! Not!

Sandy - Your dd's picture sounds lovely! I love pictures of horses. So glad your grd is so much better too. Such a relief. Glad your dh is able to do work around the house. Dh was in HVAC and also has done a lot of electrical work. Really helps to save money!

Good morning everyone,
So far everything is clear here today but that big storm is supposed to come in today. I'm thinking about trying to find someone to clear my driveway for the rest of this winter as it is getting harder and harder to walk. I think I will just have French Toast for supper tonight with a little maple syrup.

Gayle Hope you are feeling better today. That picture was taken about 4 years ago before I put on all this extra weight. I was even too heavy back then lol.

Mary Glad you finally found a blender that you like. I hope none of you don't think I have bad hygiene because I wash everyday but I stopped using deodorant a few months ago because I seldom sweat except with working in a hot summer sun when I do use it. So sorry to hear your story about your shoulder....I sure hope that isn't the case with me.

Hello to everyone else and have a good day,
Karrine

Mary, I'm glad you like your new blender. I hardly ever use a blender and mine is very old. I do have a few other small blenders. One is a generic Bullet, and another is just a small blender that we got as a premium at the casino. It was my intention to start making protein shakes etc with them, but I did it a couple times and then quit. I could not get my mind to recognize them as a meal replacement. I still wanted to chew something so ended up eating my regular meals too. I was just adding more calories to my diet.

There are so many different things that cause itching. Do you get it all over or just in the places your mentioned? I know your old doctor gave you so treatment for your scalp itch, but did you ever mention it to your new doctor? Rather than just give you topical treatement, maybe he could find the cause. I get a lot of itchiness, too, but since it is in places where I have psoriasis, that's what I blame mine on. My legs and back are the worst, and that's where my psoriasis is the worst.

Karrine, when I was younger I perspired very heavily, not matter what I did. It stained my clothes and was very embarrassing. I tried everything until I found Certain Dri, an antiperspirant. It was the only thing that kept me dry. I used it for years. Eventually, I noticed the perspiring had stopped completely. I think it was hormonal and the change was due to menopause. I stopped using deodorant years ago when they started saying that the aluminum in it led to Alzheimer's disease. I believe they found now that it's not true, but DH says I don't smell and I never went back to wearing deodorant. I have some, and use it when I get dressed up for special occasions, but that's just because I feel that I should. Underarm odor is caused by bacteria in a warm moist environment. I believe if you wash regularly and don't perspire you don't need deodorant. We are all different.

I don't think you look heavy in that picture. You look very attractive.

CarolSue Funny how menopause changes so many things about our body. Perspiration odor is definitely one of them. I remember my shock as teen that I smelled a new odor and was surprised. I used heavy one for years but in past few only use it on Monday's and Wednesdays, the two days I go out every week, and unless I take a shower the next day I don't use any more.

Biggest change for me on menopause has been the stoppage of Migraine headaches that troubled me from early in life. This past year I don't remember any, but instead began having the funny aurora that interfered with vision maybe 4 times a year. No pain, no diarrhea, no vomiting, no extreme anxiety and just wanting to find a hole and crawl in, and hide in the dark. Be glad when the other 3 gals in our family stop this awful pain, too. DIL says that she still has them even tho she had her diseased female organs removed some years back. DGD really has migraines bad and she takes a medication to help ease them.

I tried a medication for the Migraine one week and had such horrible hallucinations of spiders coming down from ceiling or sky and crawling all over me. Then I flushed those tablets down the toilet. I take pain instead, easily.

Mary Itchiness: Sympathy. I have days of that, but notice I'm anxious, too. Wonder which comes first. This past few days haven't thought about it.
Will your son be living in China for a while? Safe travel for him.

Book club today was fun. Had a delightful time as we discussed, Big Little Lies I gave it a 4 out of 5 as being interesting. One gave it a zero because she works with those who are abused and she couldn't stomach it.
We had a laugh at one character who would impulsively do some funny things. We meet once a month. I borrowed the next book from the library.

Time to get ready for supper. Enjoy a good evening. Sandy

Good morning,
Here it is at 2 am and I can't sleep. I have night's like this so come onto the computer to get my eyes tired enough to try and go back to sleep. I called the physiotherapist yesterday and have an appointment next Monday. They couldn't get me in any sooner. She asked me if I had a cane so I might go purchase one. I could hardly walk yesterday and found someone to clear my snow for the rest of the winter. The big dump we got last night is really deep and no way could I clear it. It was going to cost me $50.00 plus tax for one visit or $150.00 plus tax for the month of March. I think what we got last night might be the last for this season but you never know so that is why I took the one month rate. I sure hate paying for something that I usually do but I guess my health comes first.

Carol - I'm glad I'm not the only one who has stopped using deodorant. I always needed to use it before menopause but not now anymore. TY for the compliment.

Sandy - I'm so glad your migrains have stopped now. That must have been terrible. I have a friend who always got them and they knocked her right out.
I guess there are good things that happen after menopause.

Hello to everyone and have a good day,
Karrine
I'm going back to bed now to see if I can doze off.

Never had a migraine. Maybe one headache a year, and when I get one it's usually sinus related and goes away quickly with nasal spray. When I was in grade school and didn't want to go to school, I used to tell my mother I had a sore throat. She would look down my throat, see that it wasn't red, and make me go to school. So then I started telling her I had a headache. Couldn't look in there!! LOL

Cold spell for a few days, but March means spring is just around the corner!

Good morning GG's,

A nice sun shiny day today. Supposed to get up in the 70's.

I'm not too peppy and still kind of sneezy and snuffly, but a little better than a couple days ago.

I realized this morning that the pedometer that I got (ordered from Amazon) was not the same as was in the picture. I had read an article that rated different pedometers and the one in the Amazon picture matched what was in the article. So, maybe that is why it didn't work like it was supposed to. I now remember reading reviews about other things people had gotten on Amazon and some of them telling how the item they received was not the same as what was pictured. I'm not happy about them doing a switcharoo. I hope they might let me return it at their cost. We have been happy with other things we have ordered from there.

Carol Sue ~ you are lucky not to have had to deal with headaches very much. I remember my sister having them when we were kids. And my mom had them a lot when we were growing up. I never had them until I was grown and started on birth control pills. I guess they messed with my hormones somehow ~ the headaches were awful. They continued on all those years (and I think they were hormone related because they seemed to coincide with my monthly cycle) until I was almost to menopause. I went for several years then when I rarely had them. I have them again more often now, but they (thankfully) are nothing like those I had during my younger years.

Karrine ~ hope you were able to get some more sleep. So sorry about your ankle and the extra cost you are having because of it. Hoping for you that that physiotherapist can help your ankle get better.

Sandy ~ glad for you too, that you no longer have the headaches. Not fun.

Mary ~ did they get all done with your garage door? Sorry for the itchiness you are having to deal with.

Steve and Maddie are headed to the mall after school for a Lego build. I am thinking about going along and going in to the glasses place for a little adjustment. Not sure if I will ~ depends on how I'm feeling this afternoon.

Hope you all have a good day.

Yesterday another guy came to give us a bid on the siding. We talked quite a while but he didn't measure or write anything down and toward the end he said he emailed us the bid. If he did he sent it to the wrong email because we haven't gotten it. He said the usual price is $13,000-16,000 which is about what I read online for our area. We do have one much lower bid from the guy who was supposed to fix our front door but I'm not sure I want to go with him, although the problem really didn't start with him.

Glynne - Sorry about the mixup with Amazon. If it was their fault I wouldn't think you'd have to pay return postage. I bought some chocolate Stevia once that came with a hole in the little rubber thing at the top (for dispensing by little tube). I took a picture of it so they could see the hole. They told me to keep it and they returned my money. How they do things may depend on whether it directly from Amazon or one of their other sellers to some extent, and of course the cost of the item, but I'm sure they have to abide by Amazon's rules too. Our garage door is installed and looks very nice, however the glass we ordered is on back order. They said it should be here in a few days. Hope you are feeling better, Glynne.

Glynne/Carol/Sandy -I have never been one to have headaches much. Now I have mild transient ones sometimes when I neglect my lubricating drops for my eyes, and sometimes when I stand up. When I took birth controls pills, I got a few really bad headaches too. I didn't take them very long as I didn't like how they made me feel and they also made me gain weight. Sandy, glad your headaches aren't like they were but what you experience sounds terrible too!

Carol - What a naughty little girl you were! :D My mom was very easy going about me missing school. I was a good student and didn't miss often, but there were times I just didn't want to go and I'd tell mom I didn't feel like going and that's exactly what she'd tell the school. Amazingly I had no problem with it ;)

Karrine/Carol - I never used to perspire that I could tell...but the hot flashes changed that. I don't think I stink much but at times I do notice it esp in the morning. Funny, I don't usually notice it after working out. Guess hot flashes take more out of me than my exercise! In my old circuit training class I used to sweat quite a lot around my head but it didn't seem to stink that I could tell. I was just thinking about my grandma...she never used deoderant and thought all you needed do was wash well. I don't remember her ever smelling badly. We weren't close and thinking about this made me realize I have no memory of ever hugging my grandma. I hope my gc will remember me hugging them. I think they will.

Carol/Sandy - Sometimes in addition to the places I mentioned previously, I will itch under my breasts off and on and my feet itch a lot, although some times not so much. At first I thought with my feet it was just dry skin or possibly neuropathy. Lotion does help a little with my feet. Sometimes I just feel itchy in general...arms, legs etc, however not nearly as much as these other places. I use lotion twice a day and sometimes more on my feet to help me sleep. Sandy, when I'm itching badly I do feel rather nervous/edgy, but in my case I think the itchiness comes first.

Well here it is almost 11 and I haven't even had breakfast yet. I didn't sleep well last night ..shoulder pain/hot flashes...and we slept in later than usual. I forgot to take my med early so had to wait 1/2 hr before I can eat and got carried away.:) My weight is gradually coming back down again but I am still 1.5# above my sig. I wish I could eat consistenly well so my weight would not flucuate so much. Yesterday was our son's birthday (47) and we took him out to eat. I had a small amt of potato soup (very lite on cheese) and Asian chicken salad with little dressing and I only ate about 1/4 of it.

Hi everyone,
Hope you don't mind if I don't do personals this time. We got a lot of snow last night and it has now been cleared by the man I hired. My ankle is really bad today and hurts even more than usual if I put any weight on my foot so now I am using my tenants cane and crutches to get around. My physiotherapy appt. is next Monday. I hate the thought of anyone even touching my ankle but I know I have to do it. In the meantime I am spending all my time in my recliner or bed watching TV and reading. My tenant is just being so marvelous and is helping me with everything that needs to be done here. I'm so lucky.

Have a good afternoon and I'll try to write again in the morning,
Karrine

Just saw this and thought it might be helpful. First time I've seen protein and dairy lumped together and that's helpful to me as I get a lot of my protein from milk.

Food group Daily caloric goals

1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000
Vegetables 4+ 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 +
Fruits 3 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 5 +
Carbohydrates 4 5 6 7 8
Protein/Dairy 3 4 5 6 7
Fats 3 3 3 4 5

Sorry didn't stay the way I typed it, but think you can figure it out easily.

Karrine, I'm so glad you got someone to clear your snow, but I'm sorry that it's going to cost you so much. Maybe you can take some pain medicine before your physiotherapy session so you don't notice the pain as much. I used to do that when I was having the packing done on my seromas. I would take a pain pill 1 hour before they came.

Mary, my legs and back were very itchy last night. I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep for a long time.

I have heard some say that milk is protein, and then some say it is carb because of the lactose. I like milk and don't consider it carb.

I got good grades is school but didn't really like going. I didn't miss a lot, but never went a year with perfect attendance.

Yesterday, I checked BS when I got up and it was 174. I took my meds, and had a half cup of black coffee. I checked again before I made my breakfast and it was over 300. I have wracked my brain trying to think if I ate something and I'm sure I didn't. I don't know why it would go up so high. I did the same thing this morning and am now going to check to see if it's up high again. If it is, I don't know what to say.

Gayle, I think I would contact Amazon and tell them that you received the wrong item. I know when you buy from the private sellers they don't want to get an unsatisfactory review so they will usually try to satisfy you.

How are you doing, Sandy?

We will be babysitting probably all afternoon. Our dd will be popping in for a while too...she is bringing a LulaRoe skirt I admired on FB for me to try on. My weight is almost down to my sig weight again...in fact when I stepped on the scale this morning, it first said 169 (sig wt) then went up to 170. I think if I could stay out of restaurants losing weight or at least maintaining would be much easier!

Dh's mouth is hurting again, he's going in for an adjustment today.

I got another bid for the siding and it's about the same as last one. So we have two high and one very low. We have plenty of time. Oh, and dh said if it's getting close to the end of the agreement with the front door company, and we are still not ready for the siding, he will just cut off the siding around the door so they can finish it up. We did get an email from the guy who plans to do the work, and he signed it as a company rep but really not sure that would hold up in court, who knows, but now that I know dh can remove the siding, I feel better about it.

Still loving my new blender...it has programmed cycles and will auto shut off when done, but I usually don't need to run it that long so I just shut it off myself. Also the blender will turn off (it has an on/off button) if it is not activated within so many minutes. I have learned how to remove the jar now too...so easy..LOL...just lift it straight up. My other ones all had to be turned so I thought I should do that with this one, but that doesn't work.

Carol - Milk is both protein and carb, which does not make it the perfect protein source if one needs to avoid carbs or lose weight but beans are the same way except they are a plant protein not animal. Not sure whether that makes much difference though. When you eat carbs, it causes an out flow of insulin and that makes you gain weight which is why a straight protein is really best if you want to lose weight. I do eat some lower carb proteins though. I count both milk and beans as carb and and protein. If I didn't I'd get too much carb and my bs would be even higher.

My bs is coming down in the ams most mornings now...it is usually in 140s-150s now, not yet at target but much better. That's strange about your bs. Quite a difference. Mine does strange things sometimes too. Sometimes I will get a reading, then an hour of so I'll check again and it's higher even though I haven't eaten. I called the diabetic nurse about it and she said not to worry..she said it's just the meter and that the exact number doesn't matter, just means it hasn't come down. I have never had as much difference as you did tho. I do know the body needs food to begin metabolism, so it is best to eat soon after you get up. Also helps with fat burning per Food Lovers Diet.

Karrine - So sorry for your pain...hope it begins to heal soon. Does pain med help at all? Glad your tenant is good to help you.

Well, need to get things done before the kids arrive..

Mary, I do understand about the need to eat first thing, and when I was working I did, because if I didn't I had too long to go before lunch. But I find that after I have that first food, my appetite starts up and I keep wanting to eat more. I like to wait until I actually feel hunger. DH likes to make breakfast for us, and I get up a couple hours before him. For a while there I wasn't snacking at night and lately I've been doing it again, so that might be the problem.

Also, I have heard that things like brown rice and beans do not raise blood sugar, but I notice for me they do. Actually, a portion of either of them is very small, so maybe I just eat too large a portion.

I imagine it's tempting to accept the low bid for the siding, but it makes you wonder how they can do it so much cheaper than the other companies without skimping somewhere. I hope you get this resolved soon. You've been playing around with this door for too long.

Went to bed late but up a little early as we are going to gym. I hope to pick up a few groceries too. Got text from my dil asking if I'm busy so she may need me for babysitting again. I'm rather tired now because we had a full afternoon babysitting five kids yesterday. They were good and played well together at least.

Yeah any carb will raise your bs some...it is just that with more complex carbs, it tends to rise more slowly. Understand about not eating until you are hungry, makes sense to me altho I'm almost always hungry.

You all have a good day..

Mary As I read about your babysitting I'm extra grateful our grand kids are grown. Great grandchildren, 3 live in Ohio too far to babysit, and 1 lives locally but usually his grandparents want him and that is really OK with me. An almost 3 year old is a hand full.

CarolSueRe: Low bidder. If I talked with someone who had a similar job done by the low bidder, and if they were truly satisfied, we'd take that one. I wish we had tried a second bidder, but the siding I wanted was only carried by the one we had. I think they ripped us off. Good job, but from July till December before they got the job done!!!!

Karrine Hope at least some of your snow melted. Rough when you have to hire someone to come do it. How are you feeling now?

Gayle What did you decide to do about the pedometer from Amazon? I like from New Life. Not cheep, but I've used it for years and it is reliable, small and works. Love the Clip and ribbon that clips below the pedometer to keep me from loosing it.

DH got very good report from the doctor yesterday. He had been DH's doctor for 18 years and knows him well. DH was concerned about his kidneys and liver with some of the medication he's been taking. Dr. B said both organs are better than many men 30 years younger!!!

Finally I get to stay home tomorrow. This has been a very, very heavy week. Tried to keep up here at home, too. Tomorrow we'll watch our two favorite College basketball teams play their last game of the season. Glad they don't play each other.

Sandy