Busy day so far...went to our gs' martial arts class. He continues to have some kind of sensory deficit which causes learning disability and is sorta of a mild autism from what I understand but he is learning and doing better. He attends a special education class which seems to help him. He has problems focusing, but then can focus on somethings so hard he doesn't listen to anything else. Some of it is probably just his age but apparently they don't think it all is. The martial arts class not only teaches them the physical movements but they teach them about stranger danger, having confidence in themselves, doing there best, working hard at what they do, not giving up and being kind etc. My son told me he was struggling with something one day and our gs told him ..do your best, daddy. :D So even if he can't quite keep up with all the movements he is learning.

My bs is slowly coming down again I think. I'm still not sure what was keeping it up so high..it started before our trip..the only thing that I was doing differently was the essential oil...but I can't understand why it would do that. I'm going to try it again and see if my bs goes up again. I may wait until after my labs on Monday though just in case as they will check my A1C. It is the average over three months but any large numbers will of course affect that average. Perhaps it's not the oil causing it, maybe I have just been eating more not realizing it as I haven't been counting my carbs carefully.

We had a nice lunch with our dd and two gc yesterday. She was wearing one of the Lularoe dresses and looked so nice. They have different styles of beautiful dresses, even large sizes. It was the kind of dress I wore when I was skinny and would love to again...that got me thinking how long ago that's been. I started gaining in my 30s and haven't gotten below 140 since then. I don't remember how my tummy was at 140 but I know it was too big at 145. I even had a big tummy in high school but then it only really showed when I sat down. Could have been weak back muscles, I don't know. I sure wasn't overweight then.

While we were traveling I exercised most days besides the necessary walking. I just did what I remembered from the video which wasn't much but it still wore me out. Today I started exercising with the video again and I did the full 15 min with lots of stops to rest briefly. Hopefully I will get so I don't have to stop so often, but he does encourage you to stop when you need to. It's mostly squats, twists, push-ups, bat wings and leg and butt lifts so far. You do them over and over again, some pulses with the squats and leg/butt lifts...so it's very fast, and very tiring. I pause til my breathing slows and I no longer feel like I want to throw up.;) Then get back to it. I have to admit I feel better later on..after I've rested, I feel more limber and have more energy. It's so obvious that our bodies were made to move more than we usually do these days.

I started this post when I got back from our gs' classes but then went out to get a haircut and continued it after that. Scrubbed out the bathtub and took out the trash/garbage is all I've done in the house. The kids had a BBQ here while we were gone, but they cleaned up after themselves pretty well, still I can see signs of neglect, so need to get back to the housework...most will wait til next week now though.

Sandy - I hope you are having a great time on your day trip, it sounds delightful! When you mentioned the flowers it made me think of our trip to Death Valley. Can't remember what year it was but it was when we were going south regularly. That year the flowers were SO beautiful there and we enjoyed seeing them so much. It was very hot but so pretty. I am sorta planning a long road trip now trying to estimate the costs involved etc. Would love to get to WV but doubt we will get that far, more like KY and TN and then the southern right home.

Carole Sue - I hope you can get your cpap fixed or replaced when you need it. I am curious...I know both you and Glynne use a cpap...what was the cause of your needing them? Was it after you gained weight or did you have a problem with sleep apnea even before that? Just curious. My son who is probably 20-30# overweight has a dx of sleep apnea and has the machine but doesn't use it much. In fact, when he moved out he left it here. I think alcohol makes it worse for him and have warned him about that. He snores very loudly but apparently gets very little deep sleep. I hope he doesn't need the machine and not have it.

Karrine - You are truly a good friend to Nan, much more than just a landlord! I'm glad she has you but do take care of that ankle. Hope you have time to put it up sometimes each day. Glad you got the shower bars, sure to be helpful to her and think for all of us in the future probably. I'm thinking about getting some put in our bathrooms when we remodel. Just in case for the future.

Well better end this book and get other things done. Hi Glynne!

It's nice to see my weight coming back down again now that we are home. Also my bs I think although I forgot to test so far today. I think I went over on carbs last night though. Tonight I will watch that because tomorrow we are going in for lab work. I also see the doctor this week.

We just got home from church and lunch at Subway. I was so happy because our son's ex-gf and her dd stopped over to say hello and ended up sitting with us. They are both such sweet girls and I am so glad they are still going to church...we attend a large church so even though I know they are probably there, I never see them. I learned today too that she was baptised on Easter and has brought several people into the church. Really encouraged me.

I wore my new pencil skirt for the first time and I love it! It is black and white, but sometimes the white looks kinda like cream, depends on the light I guess. It is a skirt I can wear with so many different colors of tops. Since it is cool here today I wore black leggings with it and my black gold flecked kimono. I added some color with a gold chain necklace and a dark red purse. LOL I'm still having fun with all this fashion stuff and to think I used to think that was all over for me.

I just put in a load of towels to wash. Think why that's going I'll take a nap.

Hope you're all having a good Sunday.

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to tell you that the mobility of Nan's legs has improved a bit but we still have to get her a walker. It has been very hectic here lately so sorry if I don't do personals. A bit of good news....I only wore my ankle brace for part of the day today and it went well. As far as Nan is concerned she had her MRI today but still needs the CAT Scan so if that is done in the morning and we get results it is possible that she might get discharged tomorrow. I'll need to rearrange some furniture to accommodate her new walker.
Thank you for all your prayers,
Karrine

Good evening GG's,

It's been kind of a weird day today. Don't know why exactly. It was one of these dreary cloudy days. I guess maybe the day just kind of went by and I couldn't think where the time had gone. Didn't seem like I had done much. I did do some puttery computer stuff in the morning that did need to be done. In the afternoon I did some cooking.

I got to talk to mom a little bit yesterday and today. I am so thankful that she is doing better. Yesterday was her birthday (83 years old) ~ I sang Happy Birthday to her ~ she seemed to get a kick out of that.

Steve is over at Sara's ~ putting a dimmer switch in for her dining room light. I thought he'd be back by now, but maybe he is having a visit with her. Sometimes when he is out running errands, I enjoy the alone time. Other times, when he is not here, I feel kind of restless and don't know what to do with myself. I enjoyed a visit by phone with my sister, but when we were done talking, I kept wishing Steve would get back home. We don't hang out together all that much ~ he does his thing and I do mine, but it just somehow feels less lonely when he is here and I am not all alone.

My eating has not been so great today. (I also haven't gotten the walking in the last couple days.) I seem to want to just stuff my face. Some of the times I have stuffed it with healthy stuff then other times, my choices weren't so good. Sigh......The number on the scale will probably be back up again tomorrow. I think I am feeling sort of stressed by some up coming events.

Karrine ~ glad that Nan has had a little improvement in her mobility. Totally understandable that you aren't able to get to the personals ~ don't worry about those ~ you need to take care of yourself and Nan. Glad for you that your ankle is feeling better.

Mary ~ glad your weight and blood sugar are coming back down. Your outfit you described sounds pretty. Glad you got a chance to rest a little today ~ you are such a busy one. About the C-Pap, I was always feeling tired and was not sleeping well (thought it was just the fate of a night shift worker and the menopause time of my life had hit also). I had shared about my tiredness with my brother-in-law (a doctor). I was explaining how I knew I needed to exercise and lose weight, but that I was always so tired that sometimes even though I knew what I needed to do, I was too tired to care about doing it. He suggested asking my PCP if I could have a sleep study ~ it showed obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. That is how I ended up with the C-Pap. Weight gain had a lot to do with it. Supposidly if I can lose enough weight, I may not need it anymore, but I have gotten so used to it ~ I'm not sure I can sleep without it. Occasionally (only very occasionally) I fall asleep without it, but I feel better when I use it. I can tell a difference ~ I don't feel so good when I have slept without it. I sleep, but I don't think it is quality sleep.

Carol Sue ~ I hope you can get your C-Pap issues resolved. I can understand your not wanting to have to repeat the sleep study. I have had it done 3 times. The first time, I had to have a tube put in my nose that went down into my throat ~ something having to do with measuring the pressure in my throat. That was the part I hated. The guy who placed it did a good job and I guess it was more fear of the unknown ~ as I had never had anything like that before. I'd been on the nurse end of it ~ and always was pretty sure I would hate if I had to have one myself. I was so scared that I would accidentally get tangled up in it and pull it out and have to have it placed again. The second time I had it done, the lady didn't do as good a job as the guy had done. The tube didn't go where it should and I coughed and choked and strangled with it. I didn't want her to take it out and put it again, but she said it wouldn't work right like it was, so she had to do it again. It went in ok the second time thank goodness. The third time I had the sleep study, I didn't have to have that tube up my nose ~ I didn't understand why and questioned them about it. They said the doctor didn't order it that time around. They said they could call him and ask for if I wanted them to ~ I said ~ oh no ~ if he doesn't think it is necessary, I sure don't want it. I can't remember now why I had to have it repeated. The third time, they also did a part during the day time where they would let me take a nap, then wake me up after a couple hours ~ that went on for several hours.

Sandy ~ what is a ramp festival? I have never heard of that. Sounds like a lovely weekend for you. Some wonderful family time. Glad the weather is going to be so nice for it. Enjoy. Oh, my husband went to get something in his neck checked out. Some place where he had been given a radiation treatment as a child ~ and they have been kind of keeping an eye on it over the years. I can't remember exactly what it was that he had that done for. Anyway everything is still ok with it ~ thank goodness.

Guess I'd better get off here and get to bed. Hope you all have had a nice weekend.

This morning we went in for our lab work...took longer because dh was told his order wasn't in the computer. So finally we left, just got on the road and they called saying they had it and we went back. He was supposed to get this lab done 1/2 way through a particular drug treatment so didn't want to put it off.

I may have spoke too fast about my bs coming down because it was 199 this morning. I do still take the essential oil at bedtime (called Sleep) and it does help me sleep. I see nothing in it that I know is likely to increase bs but think I'll google some of the ingredients to be sure. Hope this past week doesn't affect my A1C too much.

I'm still very stiff from the new exercises. Since we went to the gym, may not do them today. I walked 1/2 mile (abt 10 min usually tho I didn't time), rode bike 24 min. and used 3 weight machines as usual. Really don't think that is enough for me though and I probably should increase it or do something more intense which the home exercises are.

I think my son had a sleep study done. I don't think I could sleep for them just because I'm not in my own bed. I often don't even sleep good the first night at someone else's house or in our condos. I sleep best at home in my own bed but don't do too well there. I wake up a lot, get up at least once usually more, and lay a wake a lot, sometimes sleeping lightly off and non. The darker and cooler and quieter the room the better I sleep. I also doubt I'd sleep with a tube down my throat as I don't like anything different on me when I sleep. I remember after my hernia surgery I need oxygen for a while and I had trouble sleeping with it. Even a twisted nightgown can bother me. I also rarely sleep when I lay down during the day. I do think I'm better at that then when I was younger though.

I'm very tired right now and may try to lay down for a few minutes at last. I have too much to do to stay down longer. I can't stand how dirty my house is right now.

Gale Glad you finally got rid of all that rain that haunted you. Ramps are a strong type of wild onion. Actually taste good when cooked in a stir fry, but can make a person smell bad if eaten raw. One man enjoyed lots of raw Ramps on Sunday. When he came to work at the hospital they sent him home with pay till he could "get rid of the smell".

Mary You push yourself so hard, can you simply rest and feel comfortable about doing so?

Supposed to be doing housework today, but great weather enticed me to be outside instead. Transplanted hostas, planted some annuals in pots on patio near house. Rather early but with them close to brick house that gives off heat after the evening sun goes down, I bet they will be fine. Yellow and blue are my colors for the group of 6 pots in different heights. Love daisies, and the yellow one is rally a summer mum, but beautiful. I dead head it during summer, but easy with them being in pots and I don't have to bend down so far.

Time to shower, change sheets and relax. Sandy

LOL Sandy, I don't feel I work that hard..some days more than others but never truly hard...dh works much harder than I. I actually sit a lot, too much. If I showed down anymore I'd be even fatter than I am. But thanks for thinking of me. So far this morning all I've done is get the trash and garbage ready for dh to take out and daily clean our master bedroom and make our bed. Oh and I also made up a weekly menu and grocery list because we plan to shop today. I do like a productive day and I like a clean organized house and try to maintain that even though our old house needs lots of work done to look good.

Your plants sound so beautiful..our front yard is really blooming too. I love spring but can't say I contribute much to the beauty, as dh does it all. I pull a few weeds not and then, do some deheading when needed, and there are a few plants I cut back in the fall, but that's about it. I encouraged him to fertilize more and I do think that has helped.

I went ahead and used my Sleep essential oil because I honestly do not believe it is the oils that are making my bs go up, at least I hope not since they do seem to help me. My bs was down to a more normal high at least this morning. I will try harder to watch my portion sizes at meals...I think I've been eating more than I should. Dieting is sure not easy. I am not sure what to expect from my A1C...I thought it would be lower but now I'm not sure.

Hope you are all doing ok.

Just got home from grocery shopping. Dh decided not to go with me as he is so busy in the yard...he was mowing the grass when I left, when I came home, he was planting the garden. I wish I could keep up with him. And if I don't have enough inspiration from him, this gives me even more. Lets all try to be like this lady, what do you say?!!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/0...h&pgtype=Blogs

Mary ~ thank you for sharing that story ~ very nice. As one commenter said ~ Wow, just Wow.

It puts me to shame. Sigh......

Thank God for running water!!! Shower after gardening all day felt extra special. Lots of Annuals planted and the view from patio is very good. Made new area with new Hosta, Francis Williams. Put older one in Patio pot and part in a darker shade garden that needed the brighter look of very yellow/green Hosta.

To Nursery and were able to get a red Mandavilla that will fill the trellis behind the big pot it will be planted in. Gives privacy to us and to neighbor with pool. Patio Pots planted except for one that I'll need to find the plant I really want. Pictures of all gardens taken and labeled on the computer. I find it so helpful to see what grows well and make sure something isn't smothered, or simply inappropriate.

We went outside at 8:30 and except for normal bathroom time, spent outside till 5:30 pm when I came in for shower. Dh and I had a super good day together. I'm so lucky he enjoys it as much as I do.

Slept great last night and I'm sure to do same tonight. Tomorrow I go to Allergist for 6 months check up on Asthma. I'm really doing well.

Mary Glad you received good sleep And blood sugar more normal today. Thank goodness for your hubby doing all that yard work, too.

sandy

I have a doctor's appt in a little bit and I'm already just waiting til time to leave. I got the results of my labs yesterday and my A1C is 7.8! That is the highest it's ever been. I was really surprised as thought it would be about the same as last time or even slightly lower. So that will be the topic of this doctor visit I'm sure.:( My weight is down from last visit (7 lbs from MY scale) so will see what their scale says and whether he notices it. I think that shows I've tried at least.

I worked out with my DVD yesterday and did a little better. It is quite difficult for me though. I hate doing it because I get so tired, sweaty and sob but yet I do feel better and find myself doing some of the exercises later on in the day, just cause I want to. The stiffness is gradually going away.

Sandy, if I worked all day in the garden like you do, I'd probably die! You are a much harder worker than I am. I guess I just talk about my housework because that's pretty much my life. So far I am on target with my weekly tasks, yesterday I cleaned my son's room (what I can, it's still very crowded). I got sick of never being able to dust the chest of drawers because it's always covered, so since he no longer lives here and doesn't come back to sleep unless it is to take care of Halo when we travel, I put all his stuff that was there into a big box. So now he has three boxes on the bed and the chest of drawer looks nice. :D Makes me feel better anyway I think most of the papers are just junk but I won't throw anything away because it's his. I also was able to organize one corner of the garage a bit and threw away a few old cosmetics in my bathroom. Decluttering seems an endless task but I like throwing away stuff.;)

We had a very good dinner last night....I grilled (in cast iron grill skillet) a flat iron steak. Last time we had that steak dh had complained it was tough even though it's wasn't to me. But this time used a Montreal Steak seasoning in olive oil over it and grilled it only 5 min on each side and it was perfect...actually a little red for our usual taste, but it tasted great. I served it with stir-fried green beans (in small amt olive oil) and dribbled a tiny bit of soy sauce over. I had already cooked potatoes til almost done, then I added them to the green beans and kind of tossed them together until they were fully cooked. Very tasty and fortunately dh agreed. He is not easy to please these days and eats so little. He worked so hard yesterday in the yard and comes in almost too tired to eat. There were three slices of steak left and I slipped Halo one small piece cut in small pieces and put with her dog food...she loved it!

Ok, almost time to leave, will let you know how it goes..

Just got back from my doctor's appt. He noticed I'd lost 7#!! So he knows I'm trying. He also knows how much I love carbs.:o So anyway he gave me a prescription for Januvia. It will take about 7-10 days before I get it (mail order) so I'm going to try taking one more Amaryl first. He doubts it will help me that much and it might make me gain weight but if it does, I'll stop it and start with the Januvia. I'm a little scared of it because of my previous doc not being a fan of it and I know it can cause pancreatitis and thyroid ca, but I'm willing to try it if I have to. Meantime I'll keep working on my diet and exercise.

Well need to get to other things..hi to Carole Sue, hope you are doing ok.

Just read this and thought of you, Carole Sue. Is this the way it feels like to have a night low bs? https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/w...s-like-266546/

I have the sweats and tingling (although mine are usually in my lower legs and feet but I thought it was my menopausal symptoms.
Never think to take my bs at that time.

Good afternoon,
Nan is being discharged from the hospital today. I have to be there by 4 pm....her radiation treatment should be over by then. It is going to be really hectic for the next little while until I get used to all the extra care that she will need. I haven't slept well for many days now and am just resting before I have to leave. I probably won't be posting on a regular basis for while but will check in from time to time. Once again, please keep praying for her as she is slipping quite fast. Thank you for your prayers so far.
Karrine

I lost another pound so again down to my sig weight, so no new pounds but I am so glad to get down again. Of course, today is Pizza Night! Our son has declared a pizza night every Thurs. Being away so many years he loves when we all get together and it is usually with plenty food around. I am going to make a salad and whatever healthy food I can think of to supplement the pizza.

Yesterday I didn't get all my housework done but I did do a lot of decluttering. Got rid of 25 items of clothing from my closet and a couple drawers. My plan is to continue to go through all clothing including handbags and shoes and then tackle other things in the house. My body has changed, my life has changed, my viewpoint on many things has changed, it's a new beginning even if I am 73 and that has affected what I want around me. Working on my health is part of this adventure...I took an extra Amaryl yesterday as an experiment...I took it before lunch rather than in the morning. Couldn't see much difference yesterday and this morning my BS was only down a bit, still high, but will see how it goes. If I see no improvement or start gaining weight by the time I get the new prescription of Januvia, I will drop the extra amaryl and start taking it.

Karrine - I feel so sorry for both of you having to go through this difficult time. I am continuing to pray for both of you. I pray that you will have the strength you need to do what you have to do and serenity about what you cannot do or when it is time to stop. I pray for peace, rest and continue to pray for healing for Nan, however He chooses to do it. How old is Nan?

Must go now and get things done before the little ones come. How are you Carole Sue?

Good morning, everyone. My computer is not working right for some reason. It's really slow. When I type, sometimes I have to wait for the words to show up. Also, I cannot open the links you posted Mary, and they both seemed to be something that I want to read. Maybe I can come back later and open them. All I get is a blank white page when I click on them.

I have been trying to get myself more active. I wear this Fitbit all day and it rarely shows more than 2-3 thousand steps. I feel that I am addicted to the internet and sit here all day, and that's not good. I really enjoy it, but I have to be more active if I want to be healthy, like my screen name says (Wannabehealthy.) I don't necessarily mean more exercise, although I know I need it, but just moving around more throughout the day. So please don't worry about me if I'm not here every day like I used to be. I do miss you guys and it feels good to get in here once in a while and catch up on what everyone is doing. I read about all the things you are all doing and realize I am becoming like a bump on a log. LOL

Sandy, I agree with Mary that you are very active working in your garden for so many house. I used to be like that, but I was in my 30s. LOL In fact, I am going to have DH remove one of my raised beds because I just don't have what it takes to keep it up. I can't stand to be out in the heat very much and I can't bend or kneel very well.

Mary, I think that it's great that your DH is so active and works so hard, even at his age. I really wish I could be like that.

I'm sorry to hear that your A1c was high. Mine was 8.5 last time and I think it will still be too high, but I'm hoping it at least goes into the 7s. I think that exercise DVD you are doing is probably helping you. I heard or read a joke somewhere recently....A guy told his doctor "I think I'm allergic to exercise. When I do it, I break out into a sweat, my heart starts beating harder, and I get out of breath. The next day, I'm so sore I can hardly move."

Gayle, even though you said that one link puts you to shame, I still think you do more than I do, just in daily activities. I am very sedentary.

Karrine, my heart goes out to you and Nan. It is so hard to watch someone you love go through so much and you can't really help her. At least you are there to be her friend and do whatever you can. I'm sure that means a lot to her. I believe in continuing to pray, as there is always hope.

About to go to see an eye doctor. He is not my regular opthalomogist but my eyes are hurting and the lubricating drops are not helping. I take them every two hours while awake and also have added some allergy drops even though I've been told I don't have allergies. My doctor recommended this just in case.
The pain in my left eye is becoming more severe...I can stand it but it's a bit concerning so I want it checked again.

The kids came over last night for Pizza Night and I ate too much pizza. I also ate salad and some strawberries and blueberries, so got too many carbs and my bs has been way high since. Why can't I learn? I knew I should only eat one piece or without the fruit maybe I could have had two but not all of it. I keep going against what I know to do or not to do. At least I didn't eat any breadsticks. They left them here but I'm not interested in them at least.

Babysitting went well and the day passed quicker than I expected. Sometimes children really wear me out and it seems like forever but it was ok this time. I enjoyed her. Toward the end she fell asleep so gave me a break then too.

Carole Sue- Perhaps you should see your cardio doctor. Maybe something is wrong. Even having your bs that high could affect you in ways you may not realize, like being tired and sluggish. We care about you, so do all you can to be healthy. I do enjoy my new exercise DVD even though it is very hard. I stop a lot and rest. The leader even encourages this. I may never get past the first part but at least I am moving and it is only 15 min every other day. I do find it energizes me and I feel the affects for a couple days. At first I was very stiff and sore but now that's over. Love the joke...sounds like me.

Well gotta finish getting ready as I have to leave soon. Tomorrow is dh's birthday and the boys are putting on a BBQ for him. Not sure what I'm contributing. Today dh and I are going to a Filipino restaurant as they are having a special we like. We will go for lunch, after my appt. Dh is still asleep...he was going to the gym, but maybe not now. Hes been working very hard outside and is very tired I think.

Mary Eye hurting is scary. Glad you are getting it checked. Keep us posted. Hope your hubby has a great birthday.

CarolSue I agree with Mary, it may be time for you to see your doctor. More energy would be a real help. Regarding steps, Often 3,000 steps is best I can do, but with gardening I reach and go beyond 5,000 easily. Don't blame you for simply demolishing the garden bed, if you get only pain instead of pleasure it certainly isn't worth it.

You all need to remember, I dearly love being outside this time a year. Lots of the time I'm in the shade in a chair. I don't go full force at all. We weed almost daily. Thank God for good rain for 2 days this week and the ground is feeling better, and plants are growing so fast. First PEONY bloomed today. 2 Pink ones in back garden and 1 YELLOW one in front that doesn't show because it is between 2 plants and they've grown so large!!! The white ones and the Red one should bloom tomorrow. We invited friends from the City to come Sunday afternoon to enjoy the Peony's and the Rhododendron that is starting to put on a great show. Even have 2 Clematis vines blooming, one in pink and white and one in beautiful blue. The forest Geraniums we put in years ago have spread across the back in part shade and look lovely in pinkish blue. Foliage looks good all year, too.

KarrinePrayers continue for Nan and for you, too. Sure hope she is able to recover. What did doctor tell her as she left hospital?

We went to Home Depot to get gardening supplies. DH had a credit card worth about $100 and it took most of it for mulch, special compost gardening soil for veggie garden, weed preventer, shovel, etc. A man who worked there had gray hair but he could pick up those heavy bags as if they were nothing!! He really helped us. I like to shop there where clerks can actually help and can find what I'm looking for. Some places the staff just points and may or may not be right.

Sandy

The doctor said my eyes are a little dry but not bad. He saw no sign of iritis which I didn't think there was but was glad to hear it from him. He gave me a prescription for Ibuprofen drops. Didn't know it came that way. My pharmacy won't have it in until Monday afternoon. I asked him about some other pain Im having...all usually mild but just wierd and all in the head area. I just had a crazy thought it might all be related. He said then that he was wondering about that possibility too (after I told him all the places). I think he said it could be something called trigeminal aphasia.

I think of the term aphasia as relating to not being able to speak but this kind causes pain in various places on one side of the face, like inside the mouth (I have pain in my left lower jaw frequently) and my left eye (right eye hurts some but not nearly as much), inside my ears (both), and on the mid-right side of my scalp. When I googled it it said it's all on my one side and my pain has some overlap but is mostly on the left. So I don't know. The pain is not severe, although now and then it does make me kinda wince esp my gum, eye and scalp. My scalp and ears do not hurt to touch but my eye does a little. It mostly is just wierd and makes me wonder what's causing it. So he said to try the ibuprofen and if that doesn't help to check back in a couple weeks.

Tomorrow is my dh's 81st birthday. The kids are planning a party for him. Not sure what I'm contributing. I have a brownie mix on hand I bought for some time the kids were here so may use that. Dh can't think of anything he wants so if all else fails I may just get some fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans. I know he likes all that. Waiting to hear what the kids are bringing Didn't get my house completely cleaned this week, so will want to at least mop the kitchen floor, maybe tonight or tomorrow morning.

We went to a Filipino restaurant today and he enjoyed it, although I didn't think it was the best really. Then we stopped at Lowes for some vegetable plants for the garden and also picked up a couple flowers for the yard, one is for hanging. I came home and lay down for a while although I didn't sleep.

You all have a good weekend. Still praying, Karrine.

have my regular cardiologist appointment already scheduled for May. I see him every 6 months. And when I had that 8.5 A1c my doctor increased my meds. My blood sugars have come down a good bit since then, but I have not had the next A1c done. My cardiologist gave me a script to get some blood work done before my appointment so I will probably get 1 A1c checked at that time. I don't feel tired or sluggish, I just get myself seated at this computer for long periods of time. I enjoy surfing the net, looking things up, posting on various forums. It is just not good for me. I realize I need to move more, especially at my age with my health issues. But I appreciate your concern.

Mary, hope you get to the bottom of the pain issues you are having. It sound scary.

Happy Birthday to Joe. I think we had this discussion last year.....today is also my niece's birthday. She's 48. LOL I remember the day she was born. Her parents were separated at the time and got back together when she was born but it was short lived. I always wondered how do you get pregnant when you're having marital problems? Trying to hang on, maybe.

My computer still isn't working right. 3FC comes up differently than it used to. The font on my email is different, bigger. I can google and it comes up, but when I click on a link it just comes up a blank white page. Have to figure this out. Maybe run my virus program.

Another problem I noticed. Yesterday and today when I tried to post my message, I got an error message that I was not permitted to perform that function, that I needed to log in. I looked up in the right hand corner and it says I'm logged in. I copied my post, then hit the back button, and I'm no longer logged in. I have to log in again, then come back and paste my post. Weird.

Mary I googled and read some things about why I can't open these links. There was a lot I didn't understand, that some program on my PC is set to disable links, but someone said they hold down the Ctrl key when opening the link and that overides it. So I tried that and I guess that's how I have to open links, now. I read the story about the woman who runs at 100 years old. Amazing! I also read the one about the nighttime hypoglycemia. I did not experience any of that. I woke up and felt fine. I had to go to the bathroom. After that, I started to feel very shaky and weak, like I feel sometimes if I don't eat for a long time. That prompted me to check BS and it read 44. I instantly sat in my recliner so I wouldn't fall down, and yelled for DH. I asked him to give me a piece of hard candy. I sucked on that for 15 minutes. I felt much better, checked BS again, and it was back up and I went back to bed. My step-son's father-in-law gets much more severe episodes and has ended up in the hospital. They might be more like what was described in the article. He is on insulin, not pills. It might be like that for other people, but it wasn't for me. Maybe if I hadn't woken up when I did it might have been worse. It's scary. Now anytime I don't feel right I check BS. Never been low again, but has been high a few times. In those cases I usually felt very sleepy, like you can get sometimes after a large meal.

I wanted to make another comment about Home Depot, Sandy. We have a friend who worked there for a while after he retired. He told us that they were trained that if someone asked where to find something, they were to take you to the item, not point, or give verbal directions. Also, if they were on their way to or from break or lunch and a customer asked a question they were to stay with the customer until their needs were satisfied, not say they were at lunch, or pass the customer off to someone else.

Not sure what the kids are bringing today. I missed a couple calls yesterday from my son but wasn't able to connect with him when I called back. I didn't sleep well and at 2 am took Tyl pm...still only slept 4 or 5 hrs I think and didn't get up until 9:30 but still no more sleep.

Carole Sue - I'm wondering whether you might have a virus. I'd run a full scan at least once. I hope you can get it figured out. Try to move a little more each day..and esp work on your balance and core strength to help prevent injury. When we sit too much we lose strength. I do too much sitting too. I think that's why my dh is so strong for his age...he keeps moving, yet when he really needs to, he rests. I was a bit concerned about lows when I increased the Amaryl but so far no real change each way. I usually take my bs at bedtime because going to bed and dropping as you describe is my biggest concern.

Well, I'd better get busy...hopefully I'll hear from my son soon. I figure he slept in too.

ETA: I am continuing to declutter. Yesterday I went through my handbags, got rid of one and moved three to the spare bedroom for traveling. If I don't use any of them by next year, I'll toss. Also went through my shoes...kept them. Probably should get rid of one pair but didn't. Still need to do the seasonal clothing under the bed and the hall closet. Not even sure what I have there. I am only doing my clothes, not dh's.

We had a very nice day yesterday...noisy and tiring but fun. I prepared mashed potatoes and heated up a jar of chicken gravy, made a bagged salad, and set out a fruit bowl, set the table. The kids did all the rest. They brought fried chicken, a little mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, and pizza, breadsticks and pizza sauce and birthday cake. Our son insisted on putting all 81 candles on his dad's cake so that wa fun watching him lighting all the candles trying not to burn himself:D I suspect next year he'll do just the number candles.;) But it was really fun. Dh made a show of needing to use his inhaler before blowing out all the candles. After dinner we sat out on the patio and chatted. He also got to FaceTime with his sister in CA. So very special day. He got a Trail Blazer t-shirt and cap plus GC for a sports store as gifts.

I woke up with achy legs again so didn't go to church but listening online. I've never done that before and it's great except it easy to get distracted by other things. It's my first time to do it. Dh didn't go to church either as he has a guy working on our old car and this was the only day he was willing to do it so he went there to be sure he does a good job.

I'm fixing roast salmon and veggies with rice today for lunch whenever he is ready for it. I just had breakfast but he ate breakfast much earlier.

Hope you're all having a good weekend.

Mary, sounds like a very nice birthday party for DH.

I ran a scan and everything came back good. It's only on 3FC that I cannot open links. I can open them on other forums. I can't even open my own ticker link! I typed a question to the administrators but haven't received a reply. I looked through my personal setting several times and I don't see anything that says I have links blocked. I use Firefox. I wonder if Firefox is blocking the links. If so, why? I don't want to change browsers because DH is used to this one and hates when I change things. Like I said, I CAN open them, if I hold down the Ctrl key, but it shouldn't be that way and never was before a few days ago.

Carole Sue, if the problem is only with your browser, you don't need to delete the browser you dh likes, just install another one. I use Chrome mostly but also have two more on board in case I need them.

ETA: Also you might try checking for settings for selection that says something about disabling some links. I can't understand how that would suddenly change however so am doubtful that you will find it but it's worth a try. Thats about all I can offer not seeing your machine.

Computers and their ways drive us nuts!!! I phone is even worse. I have none of the fancy programs on my phone, but DH does and loves them. I simply use his.

Mary When we three get up at different times, we at least eat supper together about 6:00 PM. DH cleaned up the grill this morning and will fix his extra special burgers for supper with whole wheat buns, sweet onion, Romaine lettuce, and tomato. We'll eat on the patio because it will be in shade by then. I haven't had a burger in ages, and as a kid never ate any. I love hot dogs, especially Hebrew or Nathan hot dogs. We had that with a IBC root beer on patio Friday before the rain came. Good memories!!!

Glad you got eye checked and hope your other pain issues stop.


CarolSue Your very low blood sugar was really scary. Is it a good idea to keep a bit of hard candy in each room just in case you are alone when you need it? I should carry a bit or DH, he has occassional low blood sugar attacks and at home he just grabs an apple that not only stops the spell, but also is healthy.

So glad our sweet banana peppers are in ground with bone meal, Osmocote for long term fertilizing, and mulched just before we got 2 days of good rain. DH planted Italian parsley in every available spot among flowers and front edge of 2 squares of Daylilies.

Scale refuses to go down!!! I'm trying very, very hard to change my ways but at least I've learned to Maintain.

Sandy

Just noticed I've been spelling your name wrong, Carol Sue! Sorry about that. I hope you can get your computer problems fixed. Since it's just this site you might try contacting the administration. Also, Carol, have you tried just closing out your browser and opening again, or even shutting down your whole computer and then restarting? Just to make it forget whatever settings might have changed perhaps. I almost never shut down my computer. Usually if I have a browser issue just closing it and then reopening will do the trick, but sometimes it is good to shut down the computer for a few minutes too. But I was thinking you said you always shut down your computer at night or was that someone else? ETA: Oh I see you said you had tried to contact the site administrator.

I didn't get much sleep last night. Was kind of achy esp my shoulder but a little everywhere, just mild but annoying Also my eyes hurt all night. Guess I could have gotten up and put drops in but I didn't. They don't seem to help anymore anyway. Then about 2 am the neighbors dog started barking and it barked for over an hour. After about 30 min of it, Halo woke up and barked too but at least she was inside. After a few min of barking, Halo came into our room and lay down by our bed. She didn't whimper or anything like usual. I think she was scared and just wanted to be near us and knows our bedroom is sorta off limits. Dh got up about that time and I warned him about her so he wouldn't stumble over her. When he went back to bed he told her (nicely) to go back to bed and she did and was fine the rest of the night until late this morning.

I sure didn't get much housework done last week. I got distracted with the decluttering. I'm still working on that. Last night I tried folding my socks a different way in hopes to get more in my little drawer. I kind of have a thing about socks. I like the ones I get from Costco and wear them almost year round and always get more when I see new colors. I didn't get much done last night so am planning on working on that more today. May have to buy some dividers but am going to try using things I have for now. At least I got rid of a couple more pairs of socks last night.

Yesterday's dinner was a success ---One Pan Roasted Salmon and Vegetables. Usually dh doesn't care for roast veggies but he did this time. I served it with rice. Tonight I'm planning on making Baked Honey Sesame Chicken with stir-fry veggies and rice. A little more carb with the honey but this is a dish I know he has liked in the past.

Well I need to transfer my laundry. I'm washing our bedding today so I'll be at it most of the day. Hope to get other decluttering and daily type tasks done between loads.

Talk later....

Interesting article on the The Biggest Loser contestants who lost so much weight. It's discouraging yet hopeful because the scientist are working on figuring it all out plus it makes me realize why I find sticking to a diet to hard. Why their situation is extreme, it's the same for all dieters to some degree I think.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/he...mwrsm=Facebook

Maybe I should have sent an email to the 3FC administrators instead of posting it in the Help section. 298 people have viewed my question but no one replied. It is only in 3FC that I cannot open the links, and I don't really know when it started. I noticed it when you posted those 2 links, Mary, which everyone else has been able to open. I can open them if I hold down the Ctrl key, so I will just do that when any don't open. I shut my computer down completely every time I get off. I did a refresh on Foxfire. All that did was make my font a little smaller. Just what I needed. LOL I'm not going to worry about it anymore. My computer seems to be fine otherwise.

Sandy, I have some glucose tabs I bought, but since I have only had that 1 low in 8 years that I've been diabetic, they are probably too old to be any good. I was told to use a small piece of hard candy as the sugar works quickly, and wait 15 minutes and then check to see if it works. Some people use orange juice. I think it's fine as long as you have something that does the trick, but don't over do it. Give it time to work and don't give yourself too much sugar as you could go too far the other way.

Mary, I doesn't matter how you spell my name. Carole is a very common spelling for the same name. It seems they both come from the 1940s. I used to always call you Maryea, to differentiate, in case there was another Mary posting. Some people just call me Wanna, and that's OK too. I know they mean me.

I saw that report on TV about Biggest Loser, and also read about it online. When I watch that show, I always wished they would show the people 5 years later to see if they maintained. They said that there is only one contestant who has maintained her loss and even lost a little more, but she was not a winner, and lost much less than the others. Someone said that this was because she lost slower than the others. She even has a Facebook page about it if anyone is interested. Her name is Erinn Egbert.

Resting after the gym workout. I finally got a pretty good sleep. Got up once but don't remember being awake much otherwise. I'm now using the anti-steroidal eye drops. I think they help a little.

Carol Sue - I don't care either what you call me..maryea or Mary. Maryea is just my name plus middle and last name initials.

On the Biggest Loser thing...I have my opinion ... I think over dieting which by that I mean drastically limiting calories suddenly and for a period of time and then going back to your usual eating causes the metabolism drop. Done enough (or maybe anyway) it never recovers. I also think the same thing about increasing exercise a great deal beyond your usual and maintaining it for a period of time and then decreasing to a more normal level has the same effect. I think the body gets used to whatever you are doing and then it takes less food and more exercise to maintain the same weight. This is why I have never done either of these two things. I'd rather stay the way I am or lose very slowly than experience that. Age alone has lowered my metabolism enough. And my metabolism started slowing down in my 40s at a time when I was actually moving more than ever just naturally in my life. I noticed a big drop then. I could actually feel it! It is possible at that time if I had worked out in addition to my busy life and maintained it, I might have revved up my metabolism some for a while I don't know.

I even think the very healthy type dieting I have done in the past has also added to that slowing down. Now I just try to focus on eating mostly healthy and in normal portions and try to exercise some every day. I esp try to eat smaller portions of carbs like rice but I do eat them. I hope that will do it.

One thing I know I still could do is stop the occasional eating of sweets or keep them to very very small portions. It's not a daily thing but It would be healthier for me to completely eliminate foods (mostly the occasional snack or dessert) that contains a lot of sugar. I could cut out salty foods but other than popcorn, I don't eat a lot of them. I don't care for really fat foods. In fact a lot of restaurant food turns me off because it is so fat.

This weightloss battle is not easy. A lady and I were talking about this at the gym today. She has lost weight but still has a big tummy and she is always at the gym when I'm there. My dh is not really overweight, just kind of at the high end and probably ideally should lose 7-10# but even when he does his tummy stays about the same. At 145# I had nice slender legs but still had a large tummy. I think some of it is genetics, and some of it is part of the aging process more than anything. Again JMHO.

Mary, I agree that the contestants on BL lost too fast and exercised too much, but always took into consideration it was a reality show, and not real life. Those contestants would get so sick and fall off the exercise equipment and all the trainers did was scream at them. It was for entertainment. I was diagnosed as diabetic while in the hospital when I had my open heart surgery. They put me on a diet that really worked for me. I got all food groups (except sugar), and that's how I learned what a portion was supposed to look like. It's not the portions that we learned to eat! I continued to follow that for a while after I came home and lost the first 20 lbs. I have maintained that loss since 2008. Gradually, I stopped following that diet. I remember I could have 1 slice a bread at each meal, but didn't always choose it. Also, I ate a bit of fruit at every meal, but it would be a tiny bowl with 2 pear slices in it. Not a whole piece of fruit. If they gave me potatoes, it was 3 or 4 chunks of roasted potato. And I had milk at every meal. Some say that milk is good for weight loss, other say never drink milk. I remember I could choose a hamburger if I wanted, but it was tiny, like a slider. It was enough food that I was ready for the next meal when it came, but didn't feel like I was starving. This is what I would like to do again, not really limit anything, but keep my portions small. I rarely eat sweets, though, and I'm thankful that I don't desire them. I would take a second helping of food before dessert, every time.

I am starting to agree with those who say the body does not want to be at that lower weight and will fight to gain the weight back. When I lost that 20 lbs, I was struggling to lose more, and I think that's how I got a new set point and now my body is comfortable at that weight. I think you have to slowly lose a bit and then maintain that weight for a while, while the body "resets. Right now I think my biggest problem is that I have quit exercising and am having a big problem getting back to it.

When you think about it, if you look on a chart that shows how many calories your body uses at your current weight, it is a much lower number for a smaller person. So as you lose, your body naturally needs fewer calories. You work so hard to lose those pounds and then you're punished for it.

When you think about it too much, this weight loss thing sounds pretty hopeless, doesn't it?! I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing, maybe I'll lose maybe I won't. Guess that's probably not what I'm suppose to say on this site. ;) but that's the way it is for me. I prefer to start at the highest amt of calories I can lose at and then drop it down as I lose and I suspect that keeps your metabolism up better/longer, but the truth is I have trouble keeping to whatever number I set. I am not even tracking calories or carbs at this point. I'm sure I will go back to it but I needed a break. I think you are right Carol about allowing your body to reset at a weight before pushing it on to lose. Unfortunately my body seems to have reset at the weight that Amaryl pushed it to!

I do wonder whether if I can get rid of Amaryl I can lose the weight it put on. Not sure If I can get rid of it completely though...will see how well the new med works. I figure if I start getting lows I'll cut back on the Amaryl one tab at a time. I'm taking 3 1/2 right now. I tried 4 for a while but couldn't see any difference so cut back 1/2 tab. My bs before lunch yesterday was only 99, which is very low for me, but at other times it was high. When I remember to take the Amaryl before my meal, it works much better. If I could get rid of the weight that drug put on me, I think it would inspire me more to work harder at dieting.

I've been continuing to declutter and organize to the expense of my housework I'm afraid. I've gotten through all my clothes now and the way I'm folding them is leaving a lot more room in my drawers. I also realized just how many pairs of socks I have even after discarding a few. This made me rethink my storage methods. I have now put my socks in my longest drawer and still have one tote of them left in my tee shirt drawer! I love socks and am not about to discard anymore! Perhaps if I hadn't put them in shoe boxes I might have been able to squeeze them into the one drawer but they look so much neater this way and I have very few tees right now that I keep in drawers. I hang all the new Lularoe tees and my closet looks great right now. It's not crowded at all.

Going to work on rearranging my purses and totes/canvas bags today. I have lots of canvas type bags...probably should just give many away but always think I may need them for shopping or travel. The truth is though that those bags last a long time so I may never live long enough to use them all so I will continue to think about that. I want to store them in the spare bedroom (they were there before our son moved in), but will have to reorganize that closet before I can even put them there. One thing leads to another which is why I'm getting very little else done. I showed dh my dresser drawers and he was very impressed and said he'd like his that way too and I told him I'd do his too! So I'm going to have to find a way to do it after my other housework is done. He has LOTS of clothes so it will take a long time and first he must discard things he doesn't really care about then learn to fold them a certain way. If he is not willing to go through all his clothes and do this, I'm not going to do the rest. I'm not sure he will maintain it after I do it...I think perhaps it's best to do it yourself. I also got rid of one large grocery bag of books yesterday. I have a lot more books to go through but not today. The ones I'm giving away are the easy ones to part with.

I am really late getting started today and I have a nail appt this afternoon plus we are planning on going to church tonight. We don't go to this night service often because we don't like going out at night but thought since it's light later now we'd try to get back to it for a while, but it's hard to get back into the habit.

I'm going to do my 15 min exercise program now, then get started on housework.

Mary, I think I was trying to push my body to lose more and that's why it reset itself. Otherwise, I would have regained. So far the Amaryl has not caused me to lose weight but it could be why I am not losing. I started out taking 1 mg twice a day. I don't always take it. If I test in the morning and my blood sugar is good I skip the Amaryl or just take half since I do not eat any carbs at breakfast. I need it more at dinner time. If I'm going to eat carbs, that's when it will be. I went through a period of time, 6 months or so, when I went back to eating carbs and my A1c went up to 8.5. At that time, the doctor increased it to 2 mg twice a day. I still don't take the full dose in the AM unless my BS is up. Sometimes I need more, sometimes less, depending on how I eat. I am still not where I want to be on controlling my carbs. I eat some things knowing that it's going to spike my BS, like pasta, rice or bread. I would do well if I kept the portions small, but those are things that make me want large portions and second helpings. I don't know what makes me think I can handle them.

I exercised yesterday for 45 min. I hope this is the beginning of a new habit for me. I didn't break any records on intensity, but kept moving. I do it while I'm watching my soaps after lunch and the time goes fast. I'm going to watch the soaps anyway, so why not be exercising rather than sitting in my recliner. It is still something I have to push myself to do. I would like to exercise to the point that I get a little soreness, but not actually pain. I would like to feel like I did something. No soreness from yesterday. I did some weight exercises and if I move my arms the way I did yesterday I feel a little soreness, but not if I'm relaxed. Maybe that's enough.

I have some clothes packed up to go to Goodwill. They are mostly pants. I have finally accepted the fact that I will never fit into them again. I still have some that are too tight, but only need to lose 1-2 inches in my waist to wear them again. I don't usually get rid of anything as long as it still fits me. I could probably wear a different top every day for 3 months without repeating. I've always wanted to try that, LOL but I have my favorites that I wear over and over. The others are just once in a while. Maybe I will do that over the summer...see how long I can go before I repeat.

I took some pictures of our hill behind the house and will see if DH can get them onto the computer so I can show them. The forget-me-nots are in full bloom and it's just breathtaking to me. Once they get seedy, DH will weed whack them all down and they will be gone until next spring. It's too easy for the critters to hide in them.

I'm thinking of getting a hair cut today. That's getting long and seedy looking, too.

Good morning GG's,

Got back from my trip up home (NE Ohio area to see Mom) yesterday. Kind of pooped.

A few weeks back, the nurses where mom lives were worried about how mom was doing. They said they were gonna try holding some of her meds ~ hoping that it was some of the side effects of the meds that was the cause of the change in her condition. I asked if I needed to come up right away to see her, they said to wait and see how the holding of the meds worked. I told my husband that I might need to go up sooner than I had planned (to see her in the fall). He looked for airline tickets and found some for a really good price, so he made arrangements for me to go. Anyway, the holding of the meds helped and mom's condition had improved. I went anyway ~ at her age, you never know, so I take every chance I can get to spend time with her.

When I go to see mom, I like to try to work it so my sister goes with me. She seems to do better with mom in person, than I do. It was nice to get to spend time with my sister too.

I kept up with your posts, but the device I had along with me is hard to make more than just short replys, so I waited until I got back home to post again.

Mary ~ I agree about how dieting feels hopless sometimes. Like you, I am just gonna keep doing what I am doing. I don't feel like I am ever gonna win at this weight loss thing. I guess my thoughts for what I want to do at this point in my life (what seems reasonable and do-able to me) is just to try to make healthy eating choices more often than bad choices and to try to move around more and be less sendentary. I may never lose much weight, my goal I guess is just to feel better. And when I eat better and move more, I do feel better.

Surprisingly, on my trip, I made better choices sometimes and other times the choices weren't as good, but despite that, I only gained one pound.

What you told about Joe's birthday ~ the cake with all the candles and how he made a big deal about having to use his inhaler to blow out all those candles ~ that made me smile.

Carol Sue ~ what you said about working hard to lose the weight, then you are punished (by your own body/system) for it. Reminds me of when I was doing Weight Watchers. I did that for about a year, and it worked if you followed it. I was doing it at the time when it was the points system. The amount of points you were allowed were based on your weight ~ and one day a bunch of us all of a sudden realized that as your weight dropped, so did the number of points you were allowed. Just like you said ~ you felt punished for your success at losing.

Sandy ~ I'm sorry for your frustration with that darn old scale and its refusal to go down. It is good that you are maintaining though ~ I have read/heard that some people feel that maintaining is actually harder than losing. Your burgers and dinner on the patio sounded wonderful.

Karrine ~ thinking of you and Nan ~ prayers continue. How are things going for the both of you?

Carol Sue ~ I was just about ready to post and saw your post for today. One thing you said (together with something I read in that article about the Biggest Loser people) I could realate to. How you said that regarding carbs ~ you didn't know what made you think you could handle them. I have the same problem. I feel like thinking that I should never/will never ever again have another cookie, piece of cake, ice cream, doughnut, candy, chips what ever, is unrealistic. I think that I should be able to have small portions of those things from time to time. I start out with good intentions and try to control the portions ~ like getting just one of those little single serving size bag of chips. And there are places in the grocery stores or some of the convenience stores where you can get just a couple doughnuts, cookies, candy bar, piece of cake or pie, little container of ice cream ~ without having to buy a whole big bag box/container/carton of those. If I do that (buy the regular sized bag/container), I end up eating all of it (not in one sitting ~ but over a few days until they are gone) because if I throw them out, I feel guilty for wasting the money. One of the ladies in the article said that she tired to do that ~ just have a couple little things, and it ended up causing her to have a binge. I tell myself I can handle having just a small portion ~ but I guess I am really just fooling myself. Sometimes, I am able to stop and get right back on track, but not always. I don't know what the answer is.

Guess I will get off ~ I've got to get some things to the post office.

Here's a picture of my sweet mama

goofy computer ~ I don't know why it puts it on here sideways ~ it isn't like that on my computer ~ I tried rotating it on my computer, thinking it would come out sitting up the right way, but it didn't ~ who knows??????

Gayle, glad to hear you had a nice visit with your sister and mother.

Ya know, I don't actually care if I ever have another piece of cake, cookies, pie, ice cream candy or chips. They really don't even interest me. It's the starchy carbs like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread that I find hard to give up, but I do know that once I take that first taste I'm a goner. I need to resist that first bite. If I wait a few minutes, the craving goes away, but I usually pop it into my mouth and think later.

I am going to try to post the picture of the forget-me-nots on our hill. I don't know if I can do it since I can't open links.

Here goes. Well, it worked, and I can even open it, but it's upside down. LOL

That is pretty Carol Sue ~ it looks like you are having the same trouble with the picture as I am. I had to get on my iPad and turn it upside down to see your picture right side up :dizzy:

All those flowers came from 2 little plants I bought years ago. Each year when they went seedy I would just rip them up and throw them up on the hill. The seeds took and gradually they spread all over the hill. Some of the seeds blew over to the hill behind my neighbor's house, too. I don't think she minds. It seems as though they spread like weeds, but I think they are pretty.

Your mother is a pretty lady, Gayle.

CarolSue The forget-me-nots are extra beautiful. No wonder you want them to spread, who wouldn't be pleased with them. I've never grown them, but wish I had.

We have lots of blue in our garden right now, and white. Columbine are blooming in white and some in blue. Love it. Rhody is that glorious reddish rose and almost full bloom. It is over 9 feet tall and been in the same place for at least 30 years. The other dozen we planted over the years have gradually died until we finally gave up on one last spring and simply cut it down. I'll try to post the bloom of the yellow Peony. We have 3 of these out front that are tall enough that we can sit in our chairs on porch without people noticing us. Kinda nice in a neighborhood of daily walkers.

Mary You are really on a roll with decluttering. My socks take little space in small drawer, but at least I match them up. I tease Pat, she simply tosses hers in a shoe box and grabs two. Only once in a while do they match. When she wears shorts she is more carefully.

Week of rain and almost no gardening, but been away from house daily. Tired of going.

Yesterday I misunderstood when I called to ask "Where is handicap ramp to basement?" Then I parked on the wrong street and had to walk over a block and 1/2 to find it, then the return trip. Ramp happed to be just the right angle and easy to use. DH, DD#3 and I ate lunch together. When I got home, I got into other stuff and forgot my 3:00 PM appointment. I was 16 miles away at home when my phone rminded me I had 15 minutes till I need to be there. I called them and told them I'd be late, and it took me 30 minutes with school traffic to get there. That is what happens when my schedule changes!!!

I have no idea how to get the picture on here. Grrrr

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I've tried twice to post today but always got distracted. We went to the gym this morning and then stopped for a few groceries. Came home for lunch but then went out again to Home Depot for a new garden hose and to Costco for grass fertilizer and our coupon shopping. Didn't seem like we got much but it was still almost a $100. Guess the fertilizer was a lot of it. Now I'm tired, but tonight is pizza night so the kids will be here. I will get to rest before they come hopefully. I picked up a med size veggie tray to go with the pizza.

We are doing a free week of Blue Apron...it's actually a trial of their service. My dd uses it because they are both working and busy but for us it's not really needed plus I am doubtful we will like the food. Last night was our first meal of it...it was a veggie pizza...I didn't care for it and dh said it was just ok. I was surprised he liked it that well actually. The packaging of the food and obvious care put into it is impressive though as well as the freshness and quality of all the ingredients. It would be great for healthy eaters who are very busy. I'm sorry to say that it's a bit too healthy for us. If we could have slapped some pepperoni on that pizza and left off the greens we probably would have liked it better. :o Tomorrow night I will prepare the fish tacos. Hopefully we will like it better, however it is cod and we prefer halibut. My dd says we are picky. I say that we have just tried a lot of things and now pretty much know what we like and don't like. In this case it's just a preference, we do like cod sometimes.

Still doing the decluttering...this will go on a long time I think. Again I have let my regular housekeeping go to run around or declutter. I was up til 1 am because I decided to declutter my tee towels and pot holders. Got rid of some, others I'm going to try Oxyclean to try and get the stains out. If that doesn't do it, they will become rags/dog towels. Same with a few pot holders. I have nice ones Bobbie and Glynne sent me, but a lot of the others are in bad shape, stained and even holes. Then today I went through our sheets, got rid of the odd flat sheets etc. so they don't take up as much room. Even had room for one dressy purse I rarely use on the same shelf. The other three are purses I carry more regularly and they are stored on a lower shelf. So my side of the closet is looking much better. Next I want to go through my jewelry and other accessories and other miscl things I keep in a small drawer. I was trying to stick to categories but I tend to get distracted when I open a drawer cupboard and just have to start decluttering it. That's what happened with the tee towel drawer and sheets. Oh well, it's all good.

Carol - The bluebells are so pretty!! Wish you could blow a few our way! :D
Our front yard is now full of pretty flowers though. We could use more in our back yard but really it's already a lot for dh to maintain. Are you eating any carbs? or are you just getting down to vegetables and fruits being your only carbs. Don't think I could do that. I started the Januvia today. So far can't tell much difference. I eliminated the extra 1/2 tab of Amaryl as I discussed with my doctor but I can't play around with it like you can because my bs is almost always high before I take it. As to my weight, I'm still going up and down 3#, right now I am 1# above my sig weight so while I don't like the flucuations, I guess I'm stable and maybe that's a good thing for a while after losing 8#. Hopefully I'll break thru this in time. I told my doctor what I eat even about my mochas and he didn't seem to think I eat too badly, but still told me I should try to limit my carbs and of course I know that.

Sandy - Sorry about the walking you had to do when not expected. Is your knee still bothering you? Dh is going to ask the doc for a disabled parking permit as walking really hurts him anymore.

Dh is calling me to watch TV with him and I do need to rest for a while. Talk later...

We overslept so not much done yet. I've been busy helping dh with something online and got trash/garbage ready to take out. My doctor called to cancel my July appt so now it will be early Aug. My bs were pretty good yesterday, even last night, so the new med seems to be helping and so far no side effects noted. We didn't get to the gym this morning so I will be doing my exercises here at home. Dread it but tell myself it's only 15 min.:^:

Our son had to work late so no pizza night last night. Just as well we ate some samples at Costco and were pretty full so didn't want to eat til late anyway. I made an egg sandwich for myself and had it with carrots and celery sticks. I only had one small snack in the evening 2 hrs after dinner and I made sure my bs was good first. Tonight is the fish tacos from Blue apron. I hope they will be good.

Planning on decluttering my jewelry and other small accessories and miscl items in my dresser drawer. Shouldn't take too long. Then I hope to dust and vac our bedroom. As I said already, I've really been neglecting my housework. I just try to do a little when I'm in a room now and then throughout the day depending on how much time I have. I figure once I get the decluttering done cleaning will be easier too.

Sandy - Had to laugh about your dd's socks! The way my socks are organized now, they are all in single rows each rolled in a spiral, not on top of each other, and arranged by color so it is easy to pick out what I want each day to match my clothes. I used to go through them to find what I wanted. The solid blacks are all together in a separate drawer because I ran out of space. When possible I hope to put them with the others. I'm a little OCD and this feels good to me. I just love looking at them! When I told my dh he would first have to go through all his clothes and discard what he doesn't want anymore, he did not seem so interested in my organizing them ;)

Halo has been emotional the last couple evenings and had trouble settling down. Once she finally does she usually is fine until about 4 in the am but I have had to give her a "chill" pill to get her to relax. Usually a little cuddling will settle her down and she will go willingly to her bed but when she won't that's when I give her the pill.

I took a break to have devotions with dh and then came back to finish. Now
to get to other things. You all have a good day.