Sandy, I agree that a 3 year old is too much for us to handle. We became grandparents later than most and my dgs is now 7 and it's so much easier to babysit him. My only problem is when he stays overnight and doesn't want to go to bed. I go to bed early, but DH lets him stay up later because we don't see him often and wants him to enjoy being with us. But I get so tired, and then I seem to not sleep well because I'm listening for him. Summer is coming, and that's when his other grandparents come home from AZ. They are older than us, but for some reason, they are able to handle him better than we can. I think he listens better to their authority, and takes advantage of us because we let him. Soon he will be older and won't want to spend time with grandparents, so we have to enjoy him now, I guess.

Mary, I don't understand about complex carbs raising blood sugar more slowly. It still goes up high, even if it's slower. I'd rather it just didn't go up high at all.

Do you really feel hungry all the time, or is it just cravings, or appetite? I am never hungry. Not true hunger. I eat at meal times because it's mealtime. And I eat snacks between meals because the snack is something that appeals to me, not because I am actually hungry. For a while, I was working on only eating when I felt actual hunger in my stomach. I found that I ate much less, and when I did eat my food tasted much better because my body was really ready for food. Lately, that has gone by the wayside and I am back to eating because it's mealtime and eating the snacks between meals and in the evening. I haven't felt hunger for several weeks. I would love to get back to that, and make that be my new habit, because I felt so much better and I think it's healthier. For some reason I have been buying things I shouldn't be eating and eating them. I have to get back to sticking to my list and not looking at other things in the store. Just because they are on sale doesn't mean I have to buy them.

We got up early and drove over to Portland to our gd's basketball game only to find out she wasn't playing! She hurt her neck while playing...its just stiff and sore but didn't feel up to playing in the game. Her mom texted me about it but I'd already checked my phone when I got up and didn't check it again so missed it. When we got home I crawled back in bed and stayed there for about an hour before I got a phone call.

Carol, yes darn it, any carb will make our BS rise...if it's higher in fiber that helps tho and the more complex carbs just take longer to process, but yes it still rises so can't eat much of them. I get tired having to think about it all the time, don't you:?:

As to my hunger, no it's mostly not true hunger. No, I don't crave much in particular..sometimes I do, but not often. I think my eating is just habit for the most part and sometimes emotional. Instead of handling my emotions the right way, I too often go to food. The emotional eating is much less anymore but still happens. I try to take in a large amount of fiber, both for my diverticulosis and to keep full...and it does help...I also try to get plenty protein and I think the combination helps me more than anything. But I still want to eat. I agree...it's habit. If I try to force myself to eat differently I rebel and start eating everything that looks good. I love it though when I feel true hunger! Then I know it's ok to eat! :D

I am changing though, very very slowly.. learning from all the diet programs and books I've read plus all my mess-ups I guess..I'm eating my usual way (schedule) not waiting for true hunger necessarily but I am paying more attention to how my tummy feels when it's full so I'm not eating as much. I still catch myself thinking in evenings I can eat one more snack (r/t calories/carbs) when I can tell my tummy is saying STOP!! though. The fact that my abd now gets very uncomfortable when I overeat helps and I can't seem to be able to eat as much because of that. Not sure that's a good sign but it does help. I know I will soon have to drop my intake more to keep losing and pray I can do it. It is slow going because I am not willing to go down to 1200 calories (have trouble sticking to 1400!) and I am also so inconsistent that I gain back the few pounds I've lost and have to start again over and over, but I'd say overall it is getting a little easier. Right now I'm still 1# over my sig weight.

Sandy - Glad your siding turned out well despite the frustration. We are still waiting for the custom windows for our garage door but it looks very nice the way it is. I actually think it adds more to the looks of our house than the new front door does. Of course the thing that will help the most is new siding. My son says you guys are changing everything! ;) Well I think it's about time after 39 years here and we have a lot more to do.

Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Carol do we need to create a March thread or does it matter?

Good evening GG's,

It has been a nice day. Sunny and a nice temperatrue.

I finally started to feel a little better yesterday and today. I remembered that I had some Mucinex that would help with thinning the secretions. I wish I had remembered that sooner and maybe I would have felt better sooner. Oh well.

Sara and Maddie were her a bit this morning. That is always nice.

I needed to get some food cooked today. Made the roasted vegetables, a pot of soup and a bean casserole. Now, we're set for a few days. Yesterday I had run out and tried to make a quick soup. I called it Emergency soup. I used chicken broth, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a can of black beans. I told Steve it might not be very good. I tried to give it a little bit of flavor (the chicken broth was low sodium and kind of bland) with some Mrs. Dash. But that didn't help much. This morning, I tried sprinkling on a little garlic and onion powder, but it still wasn't very good. I strained off the chicken broth and instead put the vegetables and beans in some low sodium V-8 juice. That tasted better. I think I will keep those ingredients on hand for situations like I had last night.

It was kind of a fun afternoon. Son Jason, sent me a message with a link to an article about where we used to live in Maine. A lady who used to live in the area is writing a book about the theater that was near us. She put a thing telling about it on Facebook and asked if anyone had any old pictures or memorabilia they could share with her ~ she would apperciate any help anyone could give. He was messaging with her and I sent her some messages too. It was fun to reminice with someone who was familiar with the area. This theater has a lot of neat history to it. It started out as an amusement park in the early 1900's. Then a local man took over management of it and they had the theater. It was a place where playwrights came in the summers and had actors come and try out plays before they put them on Broadway. A lot of famous actors/actresses came there over the years. Eventually it kind of changed and dwindled out. A local community theater group took over it in the 1980's and put on plays. But while it was in it's hey day, it was quite a cool place.

I had gotten a book at the library when I lived there, telling about the history of this little theater. It was very interesting. In the back of the book was a list of actors who had preformed in plays there. Some of the older ones (some of the names I recognized) like ~ Eve Arden, Mary Astor, Talulah Bankhead, Diana and Ethel Barrymore, Frances Bavier, Barbara Bel Geddes, Humphrey Bogart, Shirley Booth, Eddie Bracken, Brian Keith, Jeff and Lloyd Bridges, Billie Burke, Spring Byington, Harry Carey, Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, Imogene Coco, Hume Cronyn, Ann B. Davis, Faye Dunaway, John Forsythe, Hermoine Gingold, Harold Gould, Margaret Hamilton, Howard Keel, Myrna Loy, Allen Ludden, Betty Lynn, Groucho Marx, Ruth McDivitt, Walter Pidgeon, Christopher Plummer, Tom Poston, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, Martha Raye, Cesar Romero, Arthur Rubenstein, Gloria Swanson, Jessica Tandy, Arthur Treacher, Rudy Vallee, Vivian Vance, Nancy Walker, Jessica Walter, Dennis Weaver, Betty White, Fay Wray, Jane Wyatt.
Newer ones like Adrien Barbeau, Olympia Dukakis, Hector Elizondo, Cass Elliot, Linda Lavin, Bernadette Peters, Lawrence Pressman, Robin Strasser, Dick and Joyce Van Patten.

It was kind of a treat to live near a place that had such a neat history.

Sorry for the long list, I just though it was interesting.

It was real nice outside this evening, so I rode my bike around the circle three times (15 minutes worth). I love riding my bike, but need to do more of those exercises that strengthen my back I guess. I tried to sit with good posture (my PT lady had told me it was ok to ride the bike, but bending forward would not be good for my back), but maybe I didn't do it as good as I thought I was ~ my back is aching now after that. I have had some ice on it.

It has gotten late ~ forgive me if I wait and do personals tomorrow.

Hope you all are having a good weekend and have a good rest tonight.

Here is a link to the website of that theater ~ kind of an interesting read.

http://www.lakewoodtheater.org/theater/theater-history

Mary, we haven't been going by months lately because there's not as much activity. We can go up to 500 posts before we have to close this thread. Bobbi has been taking care of it, so she will probably start a new thread when we need it.

I think kids like to come back home and see things the same way they were when they were growing up. They don't realize you have to replace things from time to time. I think your house will look very nice when it's all finished.

I keep going up and down the same couple pounds. I'm the opposite of most people. When we eat out, I choose healthier food. I eat a lot of salads in restaurants. When I cook at home I cook more homestyle meals that DH likes and I make too much. It's hard to cook just for 2 people. I like restaurants because we can each choose what we want instead of me eating what he wants.

Gayle, I have to agree that that Emergency Soup didn't sound too appealing. LOL I hope the new soup tasted better. I make good soup, but DH likes me to make a huge pot of soup like his mother used to do, but then he won't eat it after the first day. It becomes a leftover, which he doesn't eat! Soup is very good for weight loss though because the high water content fills you up. When I was at Goodwill I saw a cookbook by Joel Fuhrman. That would probably be a good book for you in helping you find more things to make. I know you don't like to cook much.

Was that theatre still there when you lived there and did you go to the shows? Was it in a big town? We get some famous people in Pittsburgh when they make movies, but now they are going to tax them somehow and they will quit filming here.

Hi to Karrine, Sandy, and Bobbi. Haven't seen Lynn here much lately.

Finally down to only 1/2 lb above sig weight! :) Took me long enough. Also my BS before breakfast was 126! That's the lowest I've had before breakfast in several years! I'm actually not sure why because I thought I ate too much yesterday of both calories and carbs.

Dh didn't sleep well last night so we didn't go to church and both tried to sleep in but Halo stayed in the hall right outside our room and whimpered and barked so we really didn't get much sleep esp me (dh doesn't hear so well). I got up and got her food and then again later to see if she wanted to go outside but what she wanted was to get in the living room. If I start that that early I might as well just give her give free run of that room also because otherwise she will be whining and barking to go in there earlier and earlier. She is too smart for her (my) own good. She learns very quickly what works. We finally got up because we were hungry but by then she had settled down. She woke up though when we got up and instantly started trying to get us to let her in the living room. We didn't give in though. Dh went back to sleep on his recliner and I made her join him on her bed near him. Then I shut myself in my office because if I don't she'll be whining and barking at me all the time begging to be where she wants to be. When she gets something in her mind she's very insistent. I was hoping she'd think of the living room as a special treat when she was bored and I was alone and busy, but now she wants to be in there all the time. Silly me, I was disappointed we didn't go to church as I wanted to wear my new skirt, leggings and kimono! :D I don't have many places to go where I wear skirts anymore.

Glynne - Interesting reading about the old theater. Your "Emergency Soup" made me think of when we first retired. In those days I fixed lunch for us both. About once a week I made what I called "Leftover Soup" cause I used any leftover meats, beans and other veggies plus threw in a little rice or pasta and added some broth. We actually liked it pretty well. We don't use low-sodium anything though and I usually ate mine with crackers. I really should do this now because I feel like we throw out a lot of expensive food sometimes. We do have a leftover night each week but still sometimes it doesn't all get eaten because I'm not much for leftovers (I'd prefer the soup) plus dh just doesn't eat much anymore. I never make over three servings of anything I cook unless there are more people here but even then we have leftovers. Neither of us eat much at meals I guess anymore.

Hi Sandy, Bobbi, hope you're having a good Sunday!

Good afternoon GG's,

It has been a quiet day. I spent a little time in the glider on the deck. That was enjoyable. I need to wipe everything off ~ it is that time of year ~ that yellow pollen dust all over everything. And it keeps coming back.

Mary ~ sorry that you did not rest well last night and that Halo disrupts your sleep. Is she not able to go and live with your son since it is his dog? Or did you guys kind of inherit her? And sorry too that you didn't get to try out your new outfit. Hopefully it will work out next week. Happy for you that your weight is coming down and about your good blood sugar reading.

Carol Sue ~ when we first moved to Maine (from Ohio), the theater was still there and operating. It was still having famous people preform ~ I think it was more like people from TV shows by then, instead of big Holywood stars, but I'm not sure. Eventually that stopped and I think it sat unused for a few years until some local people purchased it and a local community theater group put on plays each summer. I got to see a couple of those and took my mom to one when she visited one summer. They still put on plays every summer. That link I posted tells about it better than I can if you want to read more about it. I guess it is interesting to me because it was right where I lived ~ our mail boxes were right out in front on the road where the theater is. We lived right down the street from it ~ could walk to it from our house.

I have the Fuhrman cookbook and have gotten some recipes and ideas from there. A lot of times, I find recipes on that Pinterest web site. I cooked when the kids were growing up ~ out of neccessity ~ making a big pot of something or casserole so there would be left overs that could be heated up. After the kids were grown and gone ~ Steve and I were on different shifts. I was working the 12 hour shifts ~ no time for anything extra ~ you would go to work, come home sleep, eat and go to work. So, meals at that point in our lives were easy stuff ~ frozen vegetables, hamburger or tuna helpers ~ stuff that had left overs that could be heated in the microwave. I cooked once in a while ~ kind of a when I was in the mood to try a new recipe kind of thing. I guess with this diet, I miss the convenience of if I am tired or not feeling too peppy ~ being able to grab something out of the freezer to heat up. And Steve had been doing his own meals for quite a while. He'd put together a plate of what ever ~ he bought stuff in large quantities, so he would work on using up a certain item from the pantry or freezer. So, I just had to worry about making something for myself ~ usually a Lean Cuisine or a salad, or a piece of fish and some heated frozen vegetables. Now we (with the diet we are following ~ don't have stuff like that in the house anymore). I still make a big batch of something so the foods will last several days ~ and at supper time, just choose and heat up what ever from the foods I have prepared. But this last week, I wasn't feeling good and that day when I tried to create the emergency soup, had run out of the stuff I had made and hadn't felt up to cooking more stuff. Oh well, it was a learning experience. I think I did come up with a version of it that will work if I should get in that situation again.

Sometimes I have frozen part of the soup I made and take a container of it out and thaw to use. Maybe you could do that with part of your big pot of soup ~ if your husband doesn't like left overs, you might be able to enjoy it without having it go to waste.

Sandy ~ regarding that pedometer ~ Steve contacted the seller, and they said they would send a thing we could use to return it to them at their cost. They were very nice about it. They hadn't realized that it was not the same item that was pictured. He has found another seller that he thinks after messaging with them, have the correct one. Glad your husband had a good report at his doctor's visit. Glad you got to enjoy staying at home one day. Did you enjoy the basketball games last night?

Karrine ~ hope your ankle is feeling better. Tomorrow is your physiotherapy day? Hope that goes well and they can get your ankle starting to feel better. Sorry you have to pay someone to do the snow removal, but glad that you have that option instead of having to keep doing it yourself when you are hurting.

Bobbi ~ hope all is well with you.

Enjoy the rest of the day.

Mary, congratulations on your weight loss! Slow and easy wins the race!

Halo really sounds like a handful! Rusty is still young (3 yrs old) and is able to wait until morning to go out. I don't like to let him out when it's still dark because of the critters we get in the yard. Last week DH got up in the middle of the night a couple times and Rusty ran to the door, around 3AM and DH let him out. Now he is starting to want out in the middle of the night all the time. I told DH to stop doing that because he can hold it if he has to and I don't want him to start that. I know when they get older they can't hold it as long. So this morning Rusty waited until I got up around 6:30. It was light out by then. That will change when we Spring Forward.

Gayle, sometimes I freeze some soup, but then I forget it's in there. I will just make smaller pots of soup.

After reading your story I can understand why you don't cook, as your schedule didn't allow it all these years. DH grew up with a stay-at-home mom who always cooked big meals, and also his first wife was a stay-at-home mom and also cooked every night, so he expects a meal at dinner. When I lived alone I rarely ate dinner because I was thin and wanted to stay that way, plus I really couldn't afford to buy a lot of food. I got used to breakfast and lunch and no dinner. Even after we got married, the 2 step-children were young, and I cooked a dinner every night, even though I worked. I was 9-5 every day. Sometimes I would prepare a casserole or meatloaf the night before and then just bake it when I got home. DH would never eat leftovers, all his life. I like having leftovers. I used to give my leftover meatloaf to my step-daughter and her husband would make sandwiches for his lunch, but not I slice it down and freeze individual slices so I have it for my lunch once in a while. One time DH saw me do that and said "Ew, do you know how old that is?" He doesn't realize that since it was frozen it's exactly the same as it was when I made it. Sometimes I keep a freezer bag for leftover veggies and then add them to soup. Also, when I make chili, I use half a can of beans then freeze the other half for the next time. DH doesn't know I do that or he wouldn't eat it. He thinks when you go to a restaurant everything is cooked fresh when you order it. LOL I think that's why he thinks he can tell me at 3PM what he wants and I can have it ready by 4PM. I love to cook, especially now that I'm retired. I wish I had a big family to cook for so I could get up early in the morning and cook all day. I would have my oven and all my slow cookers all going at the same time. That's a fun day for me.

I am concerned about Karrine. I have seen Bobbi and Sandy posting on other threads, but Karrine is usually here every morning.

I have to go for Jury Duty on Wednesday. I really don't want to go. I have myself all worked up over it and it will probably not be as bad as I'm thinking it will be. I think my main concern is how I will sit there for so long without having to go to the bathroom. I'm not too good at holding it anymore.

Karrine Did you get to doctor? I'm worried about you too.

CarolSue Good to hear how you like to cook. I used to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner when I worked out of the house so I could be home with our 4. Liked it then, actually many days I loved it.
It is so different now. I don't like to cook very often but thank goodness DH is really enjoying cooking now, even cleaned up kitchen after fixing a fantastic salute onion omelet for breakfast. We ate at 10 and I'm still not hungry.
By the way, regarding problem in Jury duty, I bought some Poise that I wore when presented with a problem similar, and it was a life savior. Glad I have some more of them for next emergency.

For Easter we decided to have the family that lives fairly close to have 2:00 pm dinner here. Haven't done that for a few years and with each bringing something it should do well. Youngest is bringing her friend, but the rest of us will be just family. Everyone met him over the Christmas hollidays and liked him as I did too. We are considering fixing roast lamb. DGS makes great Brussels sprouts and will bring them. DIL will bring dessert and probably DD#3 may also. DD#2 will make a huge veggie salad. I'll have raw veggies and deviled eggs out before dinner. DD#2 is great to have table set, chairs around (Thank goodness I have 5 card table chairs we can use. Anthony at almost 3 will start on a chair and move to someone's lap, I'm sure. Being Polish family, I'll also fix mashed potatoes with those onions and some Velveeta cheese like we put in Pirogi that all love, but 3 can't have the gluten in flour. This will give us the best part, any how. It will be the only dinner carb. With my carrot salad and one other green veggie, that should be plenty. DH will probably put bread in with the roast because the guys all love hot bread.

It will feel strange after cooking for decades to be more a helper, and have plenty of time to visit without being exhausted. I'm really looking forward to us ALL being together, except Danny who is out of country, and DD#1 & family who live too far away.

Mary Good for you to have weight coming down AND blood sugar, too. WOW!!! Sorry Halo is being such a pain in the neck. I don't miss that about dogs, but I do miss a lot of the comfort our dogs gave. Loved the welcome home after being gone, especially. No one acts so glad to see me as the dogs did. Made the hours of caring for them worth it.

I'm allergic to dogs and have to wash what I have on as soon as I come home from my son's. I'm going to visit my granddaughter Wednesday morning so I'm wearing what I can easily wash. Problem is I'll have to wear it for 8 hours after I leave her. That is the day I have many appointments. She is healing well, but is getting bored being home for so many weeks. Luckily we can talk about 100 different things and I always enjoy her company. Her mom told me after Church Sunday that my calls and visits really mean a lot to her, too.

It was good to visit with our son and his wife after Mass Sunday. They came to the early 8:30am Mass instead of their normal late one, just because I was reader that day. When I got up to read from the Ambo, it was good surprise to see her pretty blond hair that shows up so well. We are lucky our children married ones we really like and are such good people.

I'm up in weight and very, very upset. My knee is hurting, and I called to get new series of shots soon. Takes about 2 weeks to set it up for the series of one shot every week for set of 3. I've gone 8-1/2 months on last series. Medicare will cover it every 6 months, so next series I can get it before winter begins and driving is dangerous.

I was able to transplant some perennials in garden today. Could only work 15 minutes before I had to rest. Ready to go back and finish the job. Also removed old plants from pots to discard. Some of the older potting soil went in the veggie garden. I don't remove all the peat moss, just the upper 4 inches or so. Found some wild plants in a pot or two that I could get rid of. I'm trying to dig up my beautiful Autumn Fern that has become engulfed with wild grass. Boy is it hard to dig in that soil that has lots of clay. I'll finish this then try again with larger shovel. How good it feels to be actually outside and working in the garden. Hang the knee - when I'm busy it doesn't register that it hurts. Must not be bad, right?

Sandy

Carol Sue ~ maybe you could contact the court/jury people and explain your situation and maybe they would excuse you. I did that ~ shared with them that I was hard of hearing and might not be a good candidate for a juror. I also explained that I have RA and pain issues. They excused me.

Sandy ~ I have ended up being the helper when we had family gatherings. DD Sara is a good leader and I am a better helper, so I didn't mind at all. I told her she was the matriarch now :)

Just got home from the gym. Our ds was here when we got home picking up some things he needed. Halo got all excited but he wasn't here long as he took the day off to take care of several things and he seemed rather tense, no time for her. I put her in the living room so she could watch him out the window but she still wasn't content until she knew he was gone and then she just relaxed in her favorite place.

Carol - Halo can hold it for a very long time too, so we do the same thing if she starts whimpering or barking (she comes into our room), just tell her to go back to bed and most of the time she does. But if she gets to barking and won't settle down one of us usually puts her out if it's at least 3:30 or 4 just in case. I'm told she makes a huge puddle/mess and I don't want my carpet ruined! However if it is 5 or later, we definitely put her out, because when our ds was here, that's about when he would get up and she was used to that. She had gotten so good for a while there (when she was allowed full range of the house incl the living room), then we shut off the living room most of the night and day and now it's like she's frantic to be in there. I think she is kind of neurotic or something. I'm sorry she can't see out much but she has a whole big back yard to roam ...but no, she doesn't want to stay out doors alone usually. Yet during the warmer weather, sometimes at night she loves to be out there while we wait in side. She's such a good dog in some ways but in other ways, she is very difficult. I think she needs someone who will give her a lot of attention, doesn't mind her odor, will allow her to be on the furniture and to sleep either with them or very near them. She doesn't care as much to play with other dogs as she wants to be very close with her human. We are not so much that way. We like her on the floor, and more just a quiet, mostly non-demanding companion. ;)

I have always cooked dinner but I cook very simple meals from fresh ingredients that don't take very long 30-60 min max usually, mostly stir-fries but even when roasted/baked. Occaisonally I use the slow cooker but the finishing up again takes little time. Dh doesn't mind cooking his own meal sometimes, in fact he prefers to some times, but not on a daily basis. If I don't cook he will either cook from fresh or he will eat processed food (we keep a few on hand just in case)...I hate to see him doing the latter. Most veggies are fresh, however I keep a little frozen veggies on hand just in case I need them. Since it's usually just the two of us, I prepare only 2-3 servings of whatever I cook. I rarely freeze leftovers. We have the one leftover meal and what's not eaten is kept up to 4 days, if not eaten for lunch, it's tossed.

Carol I can understand your problem with jury duty and I might be the same now. And how does one explain that:?: I will pray that that isn't a problem for you. I haven't had a problem in the past with it though. The court sessions haven't been too long, it's been the waiting between that has been long and I can slip out to the restroom then. I often do just in case since I never know when we will be called back into court.

Glynne - Sounds nice sitting in your glider...I can do that in our front, but the patio is so covered with our ds' stuff that it is not comfortable for me even if it's warm enough. It's still a bit chilly here. I didn't mind while he was here but now that he's not, I'm hoping he can find a bigger place soon and take all this stuff. That's why he can't take the dog, he doesn't have room and also it is against the rental rules. The house is one she was already living in. It is not easy to find a place that is willing to take a dog, esp her size.

Karrine - Hope you are ok, miss your posts. How is your ankle?

Sandy - How you doing?

Sandy, the Poise Pads would not help me. They are mostly for leakage. My problem is that when I feel the need to go to the bathroom I can't hold it very long. I have to find a bathroom very soon, like 5 or 10 minutes. This is why I don't drink anything if I'm going out somewhere unless I know where the bathroom is going to be, and I can never drink anything if I will be in the car for a long time, unless we keep making pit stops.

Gayle, I think the way our system is, if you claim to have a medical condition, they send you a form to fill out for further details. This is not something that could be verified by my doctor because I have never discussed it with him. He would just give me a pill to take for it and I already take more pills than I care to. Even saying I have a hearing problem would not work because it says right on their website that hearing devices are supplied for those who need it. They have covered every angle. If they ask if there's a reason that I feel I cannot serve I will tell them about my bladder issues. I'm not shy, if it will get me out of it.

My friend was on a 10 day murder trial and was sequestered several years ago. When she gets a new summons she send them a note stating that the previous trial caused her to become very stressful about serving, and they excuse her.

I wanted to tell you all that I started getting the ads today. They weren't there this morning, but they are now. Jenny Craig. I'll bet that 3FC has a connection to Jenny Craig and has agreed to advertise for them. Perhaps they are covering the cost of maintaining the forum.

I did very well on my food today. Now if I can just keep it up. My blood sugar wasn't too bad and I didn't take any Amaryl yet, just the Metforrmin.

Hi everyone,
It's good to be back. 4 days ago my ankle was so bad that I felt like screaming every time I put any weight on my foot so I started using my tenant's crutches. My tenant has been a God send as she agreed that I should stay off my foot 24/7 and she would do any work and errands. The total rest in my bed or recliner paid off as my ankle has been improving to the point where I can now at least limp around without the really bad pain. I went to physio therapy this morning and it is my ligaments and not tendon that is the problem. I am to go twice a week for ultra sound treatments which is supposed to help heal it faster but he said it will take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. He also gave me ankle exercises to do twice a day and to still give it as much rest as possible. He also sent me to the Shoppers Health store to get a stronger laced up brace for good support which I did as it was right across the street from the physio place. The lady at the store helped me to get fitted for the brace.

The new brace really feels good on my foot and with the extra support I seem to be able to walk more comfortably. I've been taking Tylenol 2 and Extra Strength Tylenol for the pain. At least I finally know what is going on now .

Sorry if I have worried anyone by not being here for a few days. I see that there has been a lot of posts.....too many to catch up on so I'll start personals tomorrow.

My tenant is going to continue to help me but I should be able to start doing a few things now.

Have a good evening everyone,
Karrine

Good morning everyone,
I got on the scale this morning and my weight stayed the same which I'm really surprised at because last week I wasn't keeping track of my points and I was eating a lot of taboo foods. I had trouble getting my new ankle brace figured out and back on this morning. It has laces and two long strips that wrap around the foot and back up the leg attaching to velcro. I guess I'll be getting the hang of it today as I need to take it off a couple of times to do the exercises physio gave me to do.

My DD and hubby are coming here Easter Sunday to take me out to a very expensive restaurant for brunch. They like to eat early so they can drive back home in daylight in the afternoon. I'm hoping my ankle will be good enough to get to Easter Sunday Mass especially now that I have the brace. I just hope I will be able to get a running shoe on. So far, I have only gotten on and tried my winter boot and slippers.

I'm supposed to go for blood work today in 1 week advance of my doctor's appointment but I can't go yet as there is too much walking involved. I'll have to call the doctor's office and re-schedule my appt. with him.

I took the time this morning to read back on the posts so I know what you have all been up to. I'll start personals again.

Thanks for thinking of me and have a good day,
Karrine

Karrine Therapy to help sounds very good. Ligaments hurt do take such a long time to heal. Brace can help but agree they are a real pain in the neck to help a pain in the ankle.

Easter Mass is always so special. Our youngest daughter who no longer attends Mass, will come with DH and I. She is also bringing her boyfriend, who started out as her trainer. We like the fellow and he is good to her.

We had a special Healing Mass last night with our former priest in the City. I ran into some people I hardly ever see, and it was good. I road with a woman who lives 5 miles further from the City than I do. Sitting in the back seat was a bit hair raising because she drives lots, talks more, and I'm used to doing the driving. Still glad I went.

Sandy

All my worry was for nothing. All jurors are excused for tomorrow!

Karrine, I'm sorry to hear you are having so much pain, but I'm glad you are finally getting to the bottom of this and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it heals quickly for you.

Sandy, that's so nice that your daughter and her BF will be attending Easter Mass with you.

Time to go cook dinner. Grilled salmon.

Just got home from dh's eye dr appt and a little shopping at a couple places. We shared a slice of pizza at Costco. We bought a new hamper...it's three large deep bags hanging in a white metal frame. Currently we have been using a three opening canvas holder ..I bought it from Flylady. Dh is tired of it because 1. Halo gets into it and 2. it kinda collapsing in on itself mostly due to our putting the laundry basket on it in an attempt to keep Halo out. So basically it's because of Halo.:) I told dh we could just buy the collapsible hampers from Walmart and put three together...they stay up pretty well, are high enough Halo shouldn't get into them too easily and they are cheaper, but he'd already decided he wanted this so we got it. We can always return it if he changes his mind. It is higher and longer than the previous one but we moved things a bit and it'll work I guess. Once our ds completely moves his stuff out, I will be able to move some things into his room and arrange things better. I'm going to offer our old hamper to one of the girls.

The eye dr visit was good in some ways and a bit disappointing in others. His left eye has pretty good vision with glasses, in fact the assistant said it was 20/20 but then the doctor said he could improve it slightly if dh wants and gave him a new prescription. The assistant said his vision in his worse eye is 20/30 which is much better than last time when it was 20/50, but the doctor didn't say. His pressure was good today at 10 and the right eye even when down to 6 after the dr applied some pressure to that eye and he taught dh how to do it. So that was great to hear. The disappointing thing was that he is not a good candidate for the lid surgery (it is hard to keep his eye open and the strain makes him very tired), because it could disrupt the rest that's going on in that eye (glaucoma and previous surgery issues). I thought the droopiness was due to his diabetic stroke he had a few years back but the dr (he is a new dr and although we have mentioned it, he may not remember about the stroke), says it is probably due to his previous surgeries weakening the muscle, which wouldn't surprise me either. I am thankful his pressure is much better but from what this new dr says I'm not sure it has anything to do with the surgery.

Sandy - Glad you survived the drive with your friend;) I notice I'm more nervous when dh drives these days. Maybe it's just me, not sure. I also think I should be driving more as one day I may need to. Dh even mentioned that today.

Karrine - I am so sorry for all your pain. I am glad the new brace helps and hope you can manage the taking off and putting on. Is your tenant available to help with that if needed? It is good you have such a nice relationship. How nice that your dd and her dh is treating you on Easter! Hoping your ankle will be improved by that time at least enough to allow you to walk with out too much pain. Hope the ultrasound treatments help...they are usually very relaxing at the least.

Carol - Glad they didn't call you in for your jury duty today! That's the way it is a lot of time, but then you never know. Grilled salmon sounds so good!

Have a good evening everyone...

Good morning everyone,
I'm getting used to putting on and taking off this new ankle brace. My tenant would help me but I get up 2 hours earlier than she does in the mornings. I'm looking forward to the ultra sound treatments which I start next Monday morning and I find that I can already walk more comfortably with this brace on around the house ie: easier to get to the bathroom.

I need to start thinking about preparing my income tax return for 2015. I've always enjoyed doing tax returns. I do it manually and then I use a Netfile program to see if it comes out to the same result.....then I file online.

Sandy That is really wonderful that your youngest daughter and bf will be going to Easter Sunday mass with you. I wish my daughter would do the same.

Carol That grilled salmon dinner sounds very good

Mary so sorry that DH isn't a candidate for eye lid surgery. It must be very irritating for him especially if he enjoys reading.

I really don't have much news from day to day right now as I don't go anywhere or do anything much while this ankle is healing.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Karrine, so glad you are able to get around better. My knee is feeling a lot better too. Didn't do anything, but I think time took care of it.

Mary, I had to google diabetic stroke to see what it was compared to just a stroke. I didn't know you DH was also diabetic. It's a shame he couldn't get the surgery to help him.

The salmon was good. I'm glad DH will eat it now. He never would before until this older woman (87) that we know told him that she eats salmon twice a week. He thinks it will help him live longer. I hope it does!

Good morning GG's,

It is a rainy dreary day here today. Maddie was supposed to have a field trip, but they had to reschedule it because of the rain an predicted bad weather (possible flooding and maybe tornados). Steve decided this is the day we should go grocery shopping (despite the rain). Hopefully, it will hold off while we are out. Thank goodness for umbrellas.

I'm mostly over that cold or what ever it was. Still feeling like there are secreations sticking in the back of my throat that are anoying. I haven't been feeling too peppy ~ have things I need/want to get done, and wish I would get to feeling like doing them.

Little grandson's birthday is coming up. DD Jen asked if I could make him a smaller version of a no sew blanket like the bigger one I already made him. The big one, he takes all over the place with him and it gets dragged on the floor/ground ~ gets dirty and needs more frequent washing than if he kept it on his bed. So, Jen thought if he had a little one (and hopefully he will like it and leave the other one on his bed) he could carry it around and because it is small, wouldn't get down on the floor/ground. I got the little one done. I have enough cloth left over ~ I asked her if she wanted me to make a little pillow out of it. Well, a pillow cover. Now looking for a little pillow to put the cover on.

Carol Sue ~ the grilled salmon sounds good. Funny how these husbands will listen to someone else. We can tell them the same thing and they won't listen. Sheesh. Glad you didn't have to do the jury duty.

Karrine ~ glad you are getting used to putting on your brace and that your ankle is starting to feel better. Your plans for Easter with your family sound nice.

Mary ~ sorry for Joe's eye troubles. Glad that some of the news was good though. When your son finds a bigger place, will Halo be able to go with him?

Sandy ~ glad your daughter is going to be able to go to Easter Mass with you. Is the weather starting to get so that you can get out and work on your flowers/gardens that you enjoy so much?

Guess I'd better get on the ball ~ can't go shopping in my jammies. Well, I probably could ~ would give the other shoppers a laugh.

Hope you all are having a nice day.

Here is a picture of my little grandson's blanket. His bedroom things are super hero themed.

Dh has a podiatrist appt this morning, but he's going alone. I am babysitting again. She has two appts so it looks like it will be most of the day. At least I got a good sleep. Halo slept til 6:30 and then went back to sleep and just woke up a few min ago.

Dh stroke was only in his eye. The doctor called it a diabetic stroke but I am not sure about that really. He does have diabetes but his A1Cs are always good, last one was 6.3. He does not count carbs or anything, but he is pretty active esp in the warmer weather and doesn't eat much. Probably if I followed his example I'd do better too. His first symptom he noticed was double vision and he was driving at the time. Then the lid started drooping. He still has double vision a few times a week, but is able to correct it quickly so dr didn't seem concerned.

Carol, when you said you were having salmon I was surprised your dh was eating it knowing how picky he can be. Funny thing, we used to eat salmon a lot but anymore my dh doesn't want it. Maybe he doesn't like how I fix it, or maybe he just feels he should catch it, that it is too expensive in the stores. I've asked but he just says he doesn't care for it. He does love to fish for them though, but seems to prefer them smoked now. I love the King salmon esp. Now we eat mostly white fish which I like too. Strange how now that I'm in my 70s even 80s doesn't seem as old as it used to. Sometimes I try to imagine the changes that will likely occur in me in the next ten years or so. I know I move slower than I used to but don't feel I've aged that much yet physically. I wish I could get myself to exercise more though...I think that really makes a difference.

Well, I'd better get more done here before the kids come. No sense vacuuming though as it will only need to be done again after they leave.;) but can do some things.

Karrine, take care of that ankle. I know it must be hard not being able to do much.

Sandy - Hope your pain has eased. Glad your dd is going to church with you.

Spiderman!!! My dgs liked Spiderman last year. This year he's too grown up for Spiderman. LOL

I have a Steeler scarf that someone made from that material and was selling. Everyone who sees it wants it.

Mary, the salmon I buy is not very expensive. I buy it in Walmart. It is wild caught pink salmon wrapped in serving size pieces in a big bag. $8.79 for 2 lbs. I just spray my grill pan with olive oil, salt and pepper the salmon, and cook it on each side for 4-5 minutes. I have been eating this salmon for a while now and I like it, but I am not a picky eater. Since I have been eating this salmon I no longer order it in restaurants where they charge so much for a very small piece. Mine tastes as good as theirs. I do prefer to have dill dip with it but you need sour cream to make it and I rarely have sour cream in the house and won't buy it just for that.

We have been feeding a stray cat that has been in our yard for the past few weeks. This morning when we got up, he was 25 ft up a tree. He looked so scared. My step-daughter suggested putting some smelly tuna down at the bottom of the tree. We used a can of sardines instead, and down he came! We didn't see him come down. We left for Walmart (again) and he was down when we came home.

Dh finally got another fish! A steelhead which some call a trout but is in the salmon family and tastes the same. He is so happy! It's only a 10# one, not as big as he used to catch but at least he got one finally and it's a good looking fish. And he has separated the best parts and freezing them so I can cook them, so I guess he still likes them, I think it was just the cost in the store he doesn't like and feels he should catch them. The rest he will smoke. It used to be so easy to catch them but now for some reason it's not. Carol sounds like you buy frozen(?), which is fine but that is perhaps why they are cheaper. Even fresh sockeye and coho are expensive here and chinook is of course even higher.

We babysit til about 6 pm, then sat around to talk a bit longer yesterday. I tried all day to get the kids to eat something besides graham crackers (even that is an upgrade as they usually will only eat saltines!). I offered every kind of food I had in my house that was not frozen but they would not eat it. The little one was mad at me for a bit but she finally ate a small tangerine and 1/2 banana, and the other one drank a little OJ. Then they got the graham crackers. By the time mama came they were hungry and begging for fast food. I explained what happened and she said sometimes they will eat string cheese, so I will try and have that on hand next time. It seems like all they ever want is junk and preferably something out of a box. Later I remembered I had a box of mac and cheese. We never eat it but several months ago I bought it for them, then they didn't come over and I forgot about it. They don't like to wait for it to be cooked and will fuss the whole time, but will eat it I think. Just now I thought perhaps I could cook it ahead of time and then just heat up for them. I hate to enable them with their junk and processed food addiction but also want them to eat.:dizzy:

Last night we went out for Chinese. I ordered veg egg rolls and orange chicken. I ate 1 1/2 egg roll but could not eat the orange chicken. Ate about 2 pcs. It tasted like fat wrapped around yucky chicken. I am not big on chicken but do often like it if it's cooked just right. This just turned me off. When the waiter checked on us, I told him I didn't like it and he offered to order something else. I couldn't think of a thing I wanted ...I mean I would have loved grilled or stir-fried fresh veggies but they always put that sauce on them and I didn't want that and also it would have delayed our meal and dh was already eating. So I just said no and he took off the price of my dish instead. I brought home the other egg roll which I will have for lunch in a little bit. I'm tired of all restaurants in our nearby area.

Mary, can you ask them to make the grilled vegetables without the sauce? I used to love Chinese but DH doesn't so I never had it. Now we go to a buffet that has an Asian Station. They have Orange Chicken and General Tso's, but neither of them taste good to me. Maybe my tastes changed, or they just don't cook it right. Now days I prefer my chicken roasted with no sauces of any kind, or simmered in water like when you make chicken soup.

The salmon I buy is frozen. The fresh probably tastes much better but we are satisfied with this, and we just don't know what we're missing. When we are at the mall and stop in the food court I will order egg rolls sometimes. I still like them. DH sticks with McDonald's. LOL

My grandson used to be picky like yours, but now he eats what they eat for dinner. Everything. It surprises me that he will eat grilled salmon and tuna, ribs, steak, pork chops. My friend's son just turned 14 and he still will only eat things like chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks. I told her I feel sorry for his wife when he gets married. LOL

Good for DH on getting the big fish! Where does he fish? I'll bet he was happy to land that one!

I might have been able to ask for veggies without sauce, Carol, but they probably have the saucy kind already done, and I didn't know whether they would have veggies all prepared to grill esp for me. I was full enough with the egg rolls. It was my fault...I remembered after I got it that I'd tried the dish before and didn't like it. I usually like the orange chicken in the mall food court but no way is it healthy esp for a diabetic! This restaurant makes it different however and not nearly as good. Wish I'd remembered, as I don't like to waste food but at least we paid less. ;)
There don't seem to be many restaurants that prepare delicious light healthy dishes. You'd think that would have changed by now with many people so much more health concious. I sure hope these gc grow out of their pickiness. Guess that's not a word..LOL as spell check can't correct it.

Good morning everyone,
I am very worried about my tenant as I think she may have cancer. She had breast cancer 6 years ago and now she has a big lump on her neck. So far she has had an ultra sound and a full body bone scan done. This coming Monday she has to be at the hospital for a ultra sound biopsy. She still needs to get a CT Scan appt. Once all test are done we then get the results from a surgeon. Please say a prayer for her. I can't make her feel a little positive and that cancer is no longer a death sentence.

Carol Good to hear that your knee is feeling better now. I'm not a big fish eater. The only fish I eat is canned salmon for salmon sandwiches and fish and chips where the fish is battered which sure isn't a good choice if you are diabetic.

Gayle The theme blanket you made looks very unique and pretty. I hope your GS likes the smaller version.

Mary How wonderful that you are still basically physically fit for our age. I'm not too bad except for my ankle and arthritis in my knees and breathing problems as a result of smoking years ago but I sure am overweight and not getting any exercise. That is great that your DH fishes and cooks up what he catches. My father used to do that and I used to love fishing when I was very young. There isn't any good place to fish around where I live and you have to travel quite far to find a good spot.

Hope you all have a good day,
Karrine

I used to fish years ago when DH would go. After a while I got tired of paying so much for the fishing license and we would only go a couple times a year. But I liked to go with DH and sit in a chair and read my book while he fished. I was out getting some sun and relaxing. On the way home we would stop somewhere for dinner. He only did catch and release, for sport. I would like him to do some fishing again this summer and I would go along.

I think some of the restaurants in our area have healthy choices. This one restaurant had detailed nutritional information in their menu long before the law required it. That's why I like to go out to eat because I can choose something healthier and DH can choose what he wants. They have grilled fish which is good, and grilled chicken breast, and I can choose 2 vegetable sides instead of 1 vegetable and a starch. Sometimes I get something like a grilled chicken salad and hold the french fries. It's not helping me lose any weight, but it makes me feel that I'm eating healthy. I love fish and I ate a lot of it before I met DH. He only likes battered fried fish. I will eat that if I have to, but prefer grilled or baked fish.

Karrine, I will pray for your tenant. I hope that what she has isn't cancer, or if it is, they can treat it successfully.

Mary, there are some places where I can order something without the sauce because I don't like many sauces or gravies, but I tried to get pulled pork without sauce at Texas Roadhouse and they said it's cooked in the sauce. That sauce is not good for diabetics. When we have pulled pork in our family gatherings it is cooked dry and the sauce is served on the side for each person to add.

Good morning GG's,

It is another dreary rainy day here today. Oh well, it is good for the plants.

Finally feeling better after that cold or what ever it was. I've had slight headaches a couple days ~ think it is a sinus related thing.

I am baffled by my weight. For a few days now, the scale has stayed exactly the same. It is an electronic one ~ measures in .2 of a pound increments. So, 207.4 exactly for several days. Usually it changes a little bit each day. I am thankful that it hasn't gone up, but it us just weird that it has stayed exactly the same.

Oww ~ I kind of strained a muscle in my shoulder neck. I was trying to do a text yesterday ~ Maddie was sitting on my lap playing a game on the iPad, so I probably didn't need to worry, but I didn't want her to see and was holding the phone in such a way that I guess it strained the muscle in my shoulder/neck. Boy does it hurt today. I knew as I was doing it, that it wasn't a good thing to do ~ had done a similar thing one other time ~ you'd think I would have learned my lesson from last time ~ but no. :dizzy: So, some tylenol and a heating pad for a bit.

Had a fun time visiting with my sister last evening ~ we laughed a lot ~ you need that sometimes. We both had a good time. :D

I love her, but she is different than me in many ways. She feels kind of bad ~ feels like she doesn't have many friends. I feel bad for her about that, but I think it is a result of how she is. She is a very strong personality (has had to be to survive ~ a bad marriage and a rough work place) ~ very outspoken about things and doesn't do a good job of holding her tongue. I think because of that she makes people mad/turns them off. I don't think you can have it both ways. She has to decide which she wants more ~ for people to like her, or being able to speak her mind and say what ever she wants to say. If only there was some way that she could speak her mind, but do it gently so that people would get her point but not be upset with her for saying what she feels she needs to say.

I am more of a morning person and she says she doesn't want to/feel like being around/talk to people until the afternoons. I enjoy talking on the phone (to some people) and she does not. I would get irritated with her ~ why she would be awake (I could see her on the computer doing stuff) but never call me in the mornings ~ a perfect time to be able to talk because Maddie isn't here yet. But now I get it ~ LOL. I guess I am just lonesome and missing my mom. Mom and I used to talk every day ~ a couple times a day. It started when my kids were teenagers. Mom was a great listener and talking to her helped me survive those difficult teen years of my kids. I called her my “therapist” :) After those years passed, we just kept on talking like that every day ~ mom was my best friend. We had fun talking. Now, mom has dementia and lives in a nursing home. I still talk to her most days, but it isn't the same any more. I miss how it was and am lonesome and I guess I look to my sister to fill mom's shoes with the phone visits, but she isn't into talking like mom and I did. So, I have had to adjust to life's changes.

Carol Sue ~ I can see why you like to eat out ~ so you can get a chance to eat what you want and not always have to eat what you fix for your husband.

Gosh, I would love to have a bit of chicken or fish. I think I need to show Steve the recipes in Dr. Fuhrman's book where he uses some fish or what ever that Steve thinks is off limits. Actually, Fuhrman has two versions ~ a vegetarian version and a non-vegetarian version. The vegetarian version is for “aggressive” weight loss. Steve could actually lighten up now as he has reached his goal weight. I could benefit from the aggressive version, but have reached a point where I am struggling to stick to this strict way of eating. Steve said he eats this way to increase his longevity. Funny though, he is always fussing at DS Jason for going to extremes. But I think Steve is just as bad in some things (like how he is eating ~ not lightening up even though he could now). I think he really got scared with his heart blockage last spring and that is why he continues to eat this strict version. For me, I have reached a point where I am struggling with this diet. I think I would be better off to do the non-vegetarian version. I would still be eating better than I was before this diet. I think I am getting frustrated and at risk for eating badly because it is so strict. Thank you for letting me “talk” through this. Sometimes just writing it down, helps me sort things out and helps me decide what to do.

Karrine ~ praying for your tenant ~ keep us posted ~ how her tests turn out. How is your ankle doing? Hope it is starting to feel better.

Mary ~ glad Joe got a fish. 10 pounds might not be as big as he used to get, but it still seems like a pretty good sized fish.

Sandy ~ How are you doing? Is your granddaughter feeling better now ~ recuperating after her surgery?

Guess I'd better get off here and get something done. Hope you all are having a good day.

Gayle, I feel bad that you don't have the relationship with your sister that you would like to have. It sounds like you two are opposites. I have acquaintances but not many close friends. I like to stay at home and be alone. DH and I are both at home but doing our own things except for shopping and meal times. I like online friendships because I can come here and post when it's convenient for me and so can the people I'm posting with. I have a friend I've had since high school and our communication is mostly by email, and also a woman I used to work with. I don't do much one on one face to face. My mother was the same way, but there were no computers back then. She just kept to herself. I never feel lonely. That's just the way I am.

I don't see why you can't have a small piece of fish or meat with your meal once in a while. Everyone is different, and what is good for Steve might not work for you. I wish my heart issues had scared me as much as his scared him and I could drastically change my diet. Does he exercise? I don't remember if you mentioned that. It really sounds as if food doesn't matter much to him.

I hope your shoulder/neck feels better. I have still been having some slight dizziness or lightheadedness and I'm not sure what to do about it. Yesterday I lost my balance getting out of my recliner twice, and fell back into the chair. I don't think I was dizzy, but the chair is a rocker/recliner and I think when I tried to get up it started to rock and just set me off balance. I know I have to pay attention to how I feel because of my heart valves, but I really don't think it's that because I don't have shortness of breath. My doctor said I would get shortness of breath if my valves begin to fail. My husband doesn't want me to go back to the hospital so if I tell him something happened he says it's nothing. He really hates to be by himself. I don't know what he will do if I am the first to go. He also doesn't have friends other than his brother and son. He has 4 brothers but rarely sees the other 3. I tell him if I am the first to go to find himself a rich woman.

I use a balance beam scale, like the ones they have in the doctor's office. I also have a digital scale that measures body fat, etc, but I can get on it 3 times and get 3 different answers, so I don't like to use it. On the balance beam scale you just move the weight until the beam balances.

Dh went fishing again this morning. Now that he finally got one, he wants to go all the time.:D He goes early and usually comes home about 1-3 pm. I'm like you Carol, I don't mind being alone, but when he's gone so much I kinda wish he were here. There are things I like to do/or go with him. Also left up to me, I won't be dressed til noon and never get out of the house. :D He gets me going.

My weight is up again 3.5#...this is how I do up and down..very hard to get anywhere. I've been going over a little on my calories and also ate some cheese and crackers last night..so sodium is prob part of it..plus the eating out. Restaurant food always has more fat and sodium than I get at home. I've done well today though and hope it will be down again tomorrow. Tonight I baked a chicken breast surrounded by veggies...red onion, zucchini and sweet potato. Dh doesn't care for sweet potato but he ate a little. I also made him some cream gravy to top the chicken as he doesn't like anything dry, but I ate it dry, actually prefer it that way.

Thoroughly cleaned my kitchen counters and stove top, and wiped down the upper cabinets plus the daily stuff. I ordered another top from my dd...it is kind of ivory with tiny black stripes..from a distance you can't see the stripes. I am hoping it will go with several things. I still have one patterned legging that I haven't worn yet because not having anything I felt matched. She is teaching me how to match different colors and patterns...I am so used to the old way of doing it. There are instructions here...this stuff is all new to me!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstei...pA#.dxooZD5GpN

Just found out this eve that my dd will be moving to the OR coast, so she'll be about two hrs away. Right now it's about 40 min, but in some ways it will actually be easier due to not the city traffic. I will miss her though as it's been nice knowing she is close in case we need her or vice versa. Most of the time we talk via text or FB messager though. We will prob go to the coast more often now though.

Glynne - How many years between you and your sister in age? I know I'd like to be closer to my sister, but our lives and ideas are so different that it has always made it kinda difficult. On the diet thing...if there are two versions, why can't you eat the less strict one and let Steve do his own thing? As Carol said not all diets work for all people. I often fix rice or extra sauce for dh but I don't eat it. On the other hand sometimes I'll chop up some nuts to throw on my dish only as he doesn't want them. I think you could make it work just preparing a little grilled or baked chicken on the side just for you. Even if he broke down and ate a little chicken or fish it's not likely to hurt him if you don't use too much fat.

Carol hope that dizziness goes away soon. Do you check your BP and pulse right away? Are you on a BP med?

I'm having that abd discomfort with back pain. Think when I see the dr I'm going to ask about an X-ray. It's probably just the weight but I would feel better checking it. I doubt it's a tumor though because it is not constant discomfort although it has been pretty often recently. Also may partly be my old back pain coming back because I haven't been doing the stretches regularly.

Dh is calling me in to watch amazing race with him. Talk later.

Mary Didn't know that I haven't checked in for so long. I had a lot to catch up on. Surprise!!! When you told of your DH catching a Steel head I thought how lucky you all are. AND it is caught in cleaner water than the ones we caught a few years ago in the Lake Erie. How very, very good that is to eat. I understand the enjoyment of his fishing, and of your being alone at home, but also that after so long you feel lonesome.
Hope your medical issues find a solution and his, too.

CarolSue Dizziness? Do you take anything to help like the car sick medicine? DH had that for a while till he went off one of his heart meds and it rarely hits him now.

Just finished up my 2015 taxes and notice one form I need did NOT come in. I have a call to get it sent e-mail if possible. Hoped to take it to the accountant on Monday. So proud I got it finished this early. I used to go in the last possible week. That Accountant complimented me when I got there on April 9 - "Why are you so early?"

Usually I'm a basket case while working on them. I've prayed and prayed to the Good Lord for relief, and answered prayers!!!! This week I was able to calmly work on them like a normal person for the first time in my life.
When we began the partnership business with our Son, that was the last year I did our taxes myself. We had a part time business in our home, hired help, payroll etc and I did fine. When the partnership was formed I was completely
out of my element and had to get help. I've had it since and certainly appreciate it. This year I was the best orginized ever, but I also changed to a local accountant who helped simplify lots of things.

Yesterday's walk was good, but knee is acting up. Get the lubricating shots in that knee on the 16th, and will baby it till then.

WVU won last night at the last 2 seconds and I cheered. Michigan State won earlier by a far larger margin. Going to TV now to watch Michigan State play Maryland. Hope I can cheer again!!!!

Sandy

Good afternoon GG's,

It is a nice sun shiny time right now. I feel so much better (in a better frame of mind) when it is sunny out.

DS Jason visited for a short time yesterday. He stopped by to pick up some stuff, but didn't stay long because he was having a cold or something of that sort going on and didn't want to make us sick.

DD Sara got home from work earlier than she usually does, so that was nice. But she was back here later. An upset at home with her ex. He had his own place, but ended up back living at her house. She though it could work, but it hasn't. She had asked him to find his own place again, but much like the first time around, getting him out has been a challenge. The stuff that goes on is so upsetting to me. It has been a rugged relationship since it began back 18 years ago. These last 3 years have been the worst of it. I just want so badly for it to be over so she can have a peaceful house once again for her and the kids and get on with her life.

Lots on my mind ~ feeling stressed about stuff and and angry about some other stuff. I've been getting over some kind of cold or something and I haven't been eating very healthy ~ so I haven't felt very good. Thank goodness I was able to talk with my sister. She listened and commented and helped me get my head back in a better place, so I've felt a little better this afternoon.

Steve sort of wanted me to go to some kind of outdoor concert with him this afternoon, but I wasn't feeling that great and sort of didn't feel fit to be around other people, so I opted out. I think he was disgusted about that, but I just was not in the mood. I think he went by himself. I went out for some errands and isn't back yet.

Sandy ~ glad you are getting to enjoy the basketball games. Great job getting those taxes done/almost done ~ that is a big job. Bet you are glad to have that almost behind you. Sorry your knee is bothering. Glad you are able to get those shots again soon to help it.

Mary ~ I can identify with how you feel ~ I sort of like the alone time, but also glad when Steve gets back from his errands. Sometimes when it takes longer than it seems that it should I start to worry about him. I'm sorry that your abdominal pain has returned. Good idea to ask for some xrays. Please take care of yourself.

Carol Sue ~ I maybe gave the wrong impression of my relationship with my sister. I enjoy her. I guess what it really is, is that I miss the way I was able to visit with my mom. Because she was retired, we could talk pretty much all the time, any time we wanted to, and my sister isn't able to talk like that. I hope your dizziness goes away ~ maybe you can go get it checked out if it continues. Please take care of yourself too.

Karrine ~ how is your ankle doing? Hope that the brace is helping it feel better. How is your tenant? Hope she can get the rest of the tests soon so that she can get this taken care of so she can feel better about things.

I called this afternoon to talk to my mom. She was napping the first time I called and again the second time. The nurse said she has been more agitated lately. They might have to adjust her meds again. They are doing a program with her where they use music to try to help her be more calm. It helps sometimes. They had kind of a situation today. Mom threw her new shoes in the trash. The nurse retrieved them. Mom took a nap and when she came out for super, she only had on one shoe. The staff spent 2 hours looking everywhere trying to find her other shoe. They asked the cleaning lady if maybe (because mom had already pitched them in the trash once today) the one shoe was in the trash. The cleaning lady said no, she hadn't seen it. A couple of the nurses went out to the dumpster and dug through it and found the other shoe. Those nurses are a God send. They take such good care of those patients and doing things like this ~ they go way above and beyond the call of duty. I am so thankful that mom is there with them, and the wonderful care they give her.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

It's been a fun day...went to our gd's last basketball game today. She got TWO baskets! Her first for the season. I told her I guess she was waiting til the last game to go out with a bang! She said "I just jumped and it went in." She says the cutest things.

After the game we went shopping for a new printer. I think mine needs a new printer head...I cleaned it and it still doesn't work. Even had dh install it again (after I did) to make sure I had it in right. It really isn't that complicated though and he couldn't do anything different. The print heads cost quite a bit and printers don't cost much so just got a new one at Costco. Haven't had time to set it up yet.

Our son and his new fam came for a visit. The baby is just getting cuter and cuter. She smiled a lot and cooed some for us.

In a few minutes I need to get ready to go out again...going to a movie called The Finest Hours. Kind of a disaster film which I think is based on a true story. Finally used the last of my Fandango GC win.

I bought a whole outfit from my dd...it's a top, skirt and kimono. Spending a lot of money, she even encouraged me to wait but I couldn't resist it. I guess seeing it altogether made it easy for me...no matching of my own to do.:D I'd better stop buying now though for a while.

What are you all doing for Easter? We are having the kids over. I'm planning on getting a honey baked ham, making a salad and maybe get some buns, some kind of veg, jelly beans for dessert. My dil may bring a potato salad, and my dd may bring a dessert. That's all I know for now. We are going to serve it buffet style this time. So pretty easy hopefully.

No time for personals right now. I'm hurting a little and will be sitting in the theater so need to move around now. The discomfort isn't going away much now. It isn't real painful though...just uncomfortable and annoying mostly.

Enjoy your weekend.

Good morning everyone,
I am so very happy that my new ankle brace is helping me to walk more comfortably. My tenant has to be at the hospital by 8 am tomorrow morning for her ultra sound biopsy. She still needs to get her appt. for the CT Scan before she knows the results of all the tests.

Carol you having that grilled chicken salad sounds like something I would really like. Please be careful when you get your dizziness as we sure wouldn't want to hear that you have had a fall. I too, don't have many close friends as I am such a homebody and going out for dinner & some church functions is about the only socializing I do.

Gayle glad that you are feeling better but sorry you have strained a neck muscle. I have a sister-in-law who is very outspoken and has on occasion been so embarrassing that she was asked to leave.

Mary Sorry your weight is up again. I didn't have a good week and don't expect to have a good scale reading tomorrow morning. I have really been slacking off lately and have to get my mind set back on the ball. Sorry that your DD is moving farther away from you. My daughter is 2-1/2 hrs. away and now that I am older I don't really enjoy the drive anymore as it involves going on major highways that are quite hectic. Your Easter plans sound very nice.

Sandy I did my tax return yesterday morning which is why I never got around to posting here. Mine is pretty straight forward and not complicated like your's is.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

I had a very strange but amazing day yesterday. I will try to make the story short and will change names for privacy reasons.

My DIL works for the county, but not our county, the next county. There was an event at their mall where various organizations set up booths to bring awareness to their organization. She was manning the county booth, telling people about the programs they offered. My step son and grandson were going to spend the afternoon so DH and I decided to go also. We are not familiar with this area about 50 miles away. We found the right exit to get off the highway but missed the turn for the mall. We stopped a man who was walking along and asked how to get to the mall. He gave us directions, and then said 'That's where I'm going. Could you give me a ride?" Normally, we would not pick up strangers but felt we were on the spot so I said "You know the way, so get in." Realizing that we must not have been from the area since we didn't know how to get to the mall, the guy asked where we were from. When we told him the name of our town, he said he is from that town also, but had moved to this other town after losing his job and getting a divorce. I guess his wife got the car in the divorce. We thought it was so odd that we were in a strange town, and it just so happened that the stranger we pick up was from out town, and also going to the same place we were going to.

So we got to the mall and it was packed. So many booths from organizations, and it seemed like thousands of customers. We spent some time with our family, then when my DIL's booth got busy we decided to walk around and see the rest of the mall. We hadn't gone far when this woman approached me with a pamphlet and started telling me about her organization. I explained that we weren't from around the area and wouldn't know where her organization was.

She asked where are you from?

I replied "Anytown USA"

She said "I'm from Happy Town"

I said "We both grew up in Happy Town"

So we discussed where we had each lived, and it ended up that her grandmother has lived 2 doors up from me, and she was able to name many neighbors who had lived in that community.

Through all this, DH was just standing there listening to the conversation.

He said "I worked at Smith Warehouse."

She said "I knew Joe Jones who worked at Smith Warehouse."

Shocked, DH said "THAT'S ME! I AM JOE JONES!"

Shocked, she said "You lived in our house when I was a little girl!"

Here, DH and his first wife had rented an apartment in this woman's family home in 1966 when she was 10 years old! She remembered his name and where he worked from 50 years ago, but didn't recognize him as he has changed so much.

Tell me, what are the chances that we would pick up a stranger who was from the same town as us, and also connect with this woman in a crowd of thousands of people in a town we had never been to? We walked around in amazement the rest of the day!!!

That is quite a happening Carol Sue. One of those small world things. I have had things like that happen from time to time. People I meet and they are either familiar with areas I have lived, or happen to know someone I knew.

The one that I remember ~ when we were living in North Carolina, I started to attend a local church. I went to the Sunday school class for ladies my age. We were going around the table introducing ourselves ~ telling a little bit about each of us. One lady ~ after I told where I was originally from said that her husband was from there. We got to telling more details, and it turned out that her husband was a high school class mate of mine.

I sort of remember that there were several of those kind of things over the years, but I can't seem to recall them now.

It's been mostly a quiet day however the kids did come over for a little while.
I picked up a subway for lunch as dh had his own packaged food he bought at Costco the other day and it didn't sound good to me.

I got my new printer set up last night and I think it's a good one but haven't tried it except for the test print.

Carol - Quite the coincidences in one day! I haven't had anything like that happen to me as far as I can remember. I have had a couple people tell me I looked exactly like someone they knew. Hard for me to imagine as I think I'm very unique.. LOL My sister and I are built the same but we don't even look alike.

My weight dropped down 1/2# but that's it. I once read that your body likes to go back to a weight it's used too...doesn't make much sense to me, and if it does why doesn't it go back to 160...I was that weight for a long time! ;) I think I only dropped the 1/2# because I was so busy setting up the printer I forgot about eating last night. The movie was good and I ate my usual junk food but didn't snack in the evening. And as usual after eating candy, my bs was better this morning. Not the best but better than often.

Trying to finish up my son's tax return but it keeps asking me for info and now he's not hear to tell me so I have text him and wait for him to get back to me. Slow process. Hopefully I'll have it all soon and can send it off. I love
that we can now e-file!

Not much news...have a good eve. The weeks sure fly by fast.

Good morning everyone,
What a surprise I got this morning. I'm down 2 lbs. and don't understand that as I have been misbehaving for 2 weeks now but I'll take it lol. It is a rainy day here today and they are calling for rain for the next few days so I imagine the lawns will start turning green any time now. My ankle isn't good enough to do the yard and garden spring cleanup so I'm trying to get my friend's two sons to come and help me with that. I love gardening and sure hate having to give up doing this job for this year.

Carol That is quite the surprise story about the people you met at the event you went to.

Mary I bought a new black and white Brother printer. It is a WiFi connection and I had to have a friend from church come and set it up as it was quite complicated. I apparently had the wrong remote connection information. I just love it and hope you enjoy your's. I didn't want a printer that uses color as ink is way too expensive.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Mary, I think your body would go back down to the previous weight if you had tackled it as soon as you gained. If you stay at a new weight for a while it becomes the new set point, but it takes a while. That's why they always say it's harder to lose weight that you have had on for a while.

Our bodies are very complicated.

I have to go help DH make his doughnuts. I will have to come back and tell you what happened to the ones he made yesterday.

Ok, they're done. He makes these doughnuts from a thick batter, rolls it into a rope between his hands and drops them in Crisco. When he takes them out , he puts them into a bowl lined with paper towels and I shake powdered sugar onto them. Yesterday, he was making them and I was taking a nap. Trying to get back the hour of sleep we lost. He had his slotted spoon sitting on the plastic lid to the Crisco. When he picked up the spoon, the plastic lid stuck to it and he dropped it into the boiling Crisco. It melted so much before he could get it out and it was half melted away. At that point he should have dumped out the Crisco and used new, but he didn't. He said the finished donuts had an off taste and threw them away. Then, this morning when he want to have a cup of coffee he noticed that the milk smelled bad. So the odd taste could have been from the milk, or from the plastic melted into the Crisco. So he made a new batch. These donuts are very good when eaten right away, but a little tough the next day. There aren't usually many left the next day but they can be warmed up in the microwave. I eat one just to see how they turned out and these today are very soft and tender. But I can't eat them otherwise.

Mary, I have a question about a wireless mouse. We saw one at Goodwill that looked like it was new, still in the package. I was going to buy it, but DH kept saying that the cord is missing to connect it to the computer. I don't understand, if it's "wireless" why would it have a cord to connect it to the computer? We don't need a mouse, but for a couple dollars I would have tried it. I don't know if he didn't know what he was talking about or if it's me.

Our new printer has wireless capability but we have it connected by USB port.