We didn't go to gs' class this morning because we are going to our gd's dance recital this afternoon and have to leave early which doesn't leave us much time for other things. This will be her last recital nearby since they have moved.

My sister called yesterday to tell me my nephew (brother's son) who I just found out recently is very ill, has been put to sleep and the doctor said he would only have about 48 hrs to live. Today I called his wife (too late yesterday) and she said it's now down to 12-24 hrs. I won't be going back but wanted to let them know I am thinking of him and praying for him and his family. He was a good guy and I remember him still as a little boy.

My headache is almost gone...so I don't know what caused it. Still sometimes feel it in there but no pain and much less pressure. I did have some trouble sleeping last night but it was mostly due to my arm pain. Will get it checked when I see doctor or even maybe before.

Carol - I agree with what you said but also what my doctor said is that the testing after 2 hrs is a good way of seeing if your diabetes is getting worse (progressing). If after eating the same type things you usually do and after 2 hrs it is not responding like it did, apparently this is often the first way it shows up. And I did notice that's what happened with me. I think though it is a good idea to rotate the testing times. Regarding the siding, yes I did ask and even told him it makes me kinda worried when he's so low and he said the reasons are 1. new company started last Nov, trying to drum up more business (but both guys have had lots of experience) 2. Working from home, no overhead. He is charging us for a more basic type of Hardi-Plank siding...I'm sure it will be more if we get a more detailed design or something. He may also be using some other cheaper materials but mostly I'm just concerned about trim. We could of course insist on Hardi-Plank trim which would cost more...one of the other companies also doesn't use it tho. I'm going to check again what they use to compare. We also have another guy coming to give us an estimate next week. An additional cost (for both I think) will be getting the dry rot areas of the roof repaired...have to have that done before siding can be completed. ETA: The siding guy who is cheapest said he would give us 2 or 3 references so we can go view some houses they've done and talk to the people. I doubt they are registered with BBB yet since they are so new. I asked about Angie's List and he said they are not in it yet since they are such a new company.

Well, much to do and little time today....at least I got my kitchen floor mopped last night. Dh and I went out to eat (told the kids it was date night), and when we got home they still weren't home so I was able to easily get the floor done without anyone tracking through, then I was pooped and went to bed before 10, very unusual for me!

There will be no Father's Day celebration here today. His son took our grandson on a Boy Scout camping trip and his daughter is sick with a cold/flu and doesn't want to get us sick. I don't want that either. DH doesn't care. He hates to be the center of attention, and will enjoy doing what he wants to do rather than entertaining them. I'm surprised they had the camping trip over Father's Day. I know it's father/son, but there are usually grandfather's to consider, too. I don't know what time they are coming home. They might want to rest, or maybe they are spending time with the other grandfather, his father-in-law.

Mary, I feel like one of those old people who don't know what they are doing with their meds. Avapro is not the nitrate. I used to take Losartan, but then my insurance company was going to put quantity limits on it so the doctor switched me to Irbesartan, which is the Avapro. The nitrate is Isosorbide Mono, which is generic for Imdur. For years I took the same meds, but recently they have changed a lot of them. I put them in a pill box that has 7 days a week, and 4 compartments per day. That's the only way I can keep them straight. This last time when I got the Avapro filled they gave it to me by a different manufacturer. Yesterday afternoon when I checked my BP it was 117/49. It's never nearly that low. Either I took double of something by mistake, or this new mfg of the Avapro is more effective. I will have to see what it does today after I take it. This morning I was 150/60 which is what I've been running in the AM. Last night I was supposed to take the Isosorbide at bedtime but I was afraid to take it after that low reading.

I understand what your doctor is saying about the testing after the meal. I really don't understand my lower readings, except that I just don't have the appetite I usually have. Eating fewer carbs, and less food altogether. Today I am making lasagne, so I will need my Glimiperide. Yesterday, I only took 1/2 mg twice a day. I will eat 1 serving of lasagne and have a big salad to balance it out.

Sandy, you are so lucky that you don't have to deal with all this medicine etc with your good health! Good for you!

Last night we went to our gc's dance recital. Their outfits were beautiful and the dances went well. So proud of them, and esp our gs who has been dancing longer and has more showy dances. Ended with a dance with the group he competes with and it was large number so we couldn't see him much but he loved that dance. This was his last in Portland...now that they live at the coast he will be joining a dance company there. His sister dances but is more interested in basketball. The recital was longer than we expected but the the last part was mostly the older children and went faster at least. It was all fun to watch but we got awfully tired. My dd's mil asked us to dinner but we had to decline...I was hurting and dh was too tired to drive to her house and then drive home afterwards. We grabbed a burger on the way home instead.

Came home to a message on FB to call my niece right away...they didn't have my phone number. My nephew I told you about had passed away probably around 5 pm. At least as far as I know he went peacefully and now he's with his dad on Father's Day. After that I went to bed so another early night. Think I'm getting more like you, Carol;) Doesn't mean I sleep anymore though. I took tyl so I could finally get to sleep because of my arm.

Today we went to church and then slipped out a bit early to go to our gd's birthday party...turned 7 today. She loved all her gifts! Tomorrow they will go home and next time we will probably visit them there. There was an accident and the traffic was terrible! We were so glad to get home. I told our dd that we probably won't be driving over there again...the traffic bothers dh much more now and his complaining about it bothers me. We'll go to areas of the city nearer us but not that far from now on. I told him I am kinda concerned about a long cross country trip because of this...of course most of the time we won't be in heavy traffic like that but it may happen now and then.

Carol - Oh, sosorbide Mono...I think that's one I remember but didn't know much about it.

We are enjoying the family now more...seems like we all understand each other better...so thankful for that. They gave dh a beautiful card with a handwritten note from his son that made him so happy. I was glad they joined in with the party today too.

I never did declutter and organize my storage containers this week...seems like that's a constant chore. I also didn't thoroughly clean out my fridge..just wiped the drawers where I saw messes. Need to get in their and check dates etc. But tomorrow is another day. But I did get my greeting cards organized (maybe told you that already) so will make it easier to find a sympathy card for my sil and nephew's wife.

Hope you have all enjoyed the weekend. It was beautiful here and warmer today..think about 77. The kids played with water balloons in the back yard after we got home from the party.

My BG was up this morning because of the lasagne I ate last night. It was delicious. It was a planned meal, not a "cheat" or "slip up." I took more med to cover it but it spiked anyway. Today I am back to my normal menus. My weight was back up the same 2 lbs, due to the carbs, and BP was up, due to the weight being up. LOL Getting some weight off once and for all would make things better all around, but I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I have to eat something to live. Quitting smoking was so much easier because I just stopped, cold turkey.

Mary, looking back to your comment about stopping the Gabapentin, I probably didn't stop it all at once. I never heard that I wasn't supposed to, but knowing myself the way I do, I probably started taking less as the pain got less, and then finally decided to stop it altogether when the pain was lessened enough. I don't understand depression. Sometimes I feel bad or unhappy, but don't consider myself to be depressed as a clinical diagnosis. Just feeling bad. It comes and goes and some days I'm really happy, but for no apparent reason. How do you know it's depression?

I was cleaning my house on Saturday in anticipation of company coming for Father's Day, but when I found out they weren't coming I stopped cleaning and went out and enjoyed myself. Relaxed. So the rest of the cleaning is still here, waiting to be done, but not such a big hurry. I did get the bathroom cleaned, which is always my first priority, then the kitchen is second. I guess the kitchen should be first priority, but I clean up after myself as I go along and clean more thoroughly on cleaning day. When I worked, I used to clean the tub and sink in the mornings after I took my shower. It only took a couple minutes. So that was always done, and the floors got done weekly. When I retired I seem to have given up the rituals I had that saved me time.

DH's son called last night and said he was exhausted from his camping trip with DGS. He said all the fathers had to take a swimming test in the pool, or they were not allowed to take their son out in a canoe. They canoe all the time with the other grandparents The test involved swimming the length of the pool 3 times, different strokes. He said the backstroke was the hardest. He was certified as a lifeguard in high school, but now he's 50, and has had heart surgery to replace a faulty valve. He's not as young as he used to be. I would think that most of the fathers were younger than Dave, since he had John later in life. But John would have been very disappointed if he could not go on the canoe ride with the other scouts. John is an excellent swimmer, too, having taken swimming lessons the past 3 years.

Kathy Gifford just said that she texted someone saying that she didn't go to church on Sunday...she has guests all day. But "auto correct" changed it to say she had gas all day. LOL

We are babysitting this morning for an hour or two, so we missed the gym. Dh probably would have gone but I didn't get much sleep...MAYBE 1-3 hours and that broken up so he let me sleep in and took care of the kids. Then I had a dream that dh was backing up the RV (which we really don't have anymore) and our little gs was standing at the RV door holding on and dh didn't even know he was there. So thought maybe I should get up and see how things are going. :D Fortunately they were just having breakfast.

After she gets back, we hope to go grocery shopping. And I will be starting on my weekly cleaning...usually start in our bathroom and bedroom. Want to clean out under the bed too. Don't think there is much to declutter but need to clean and organize.

My weight is staying about 167 these days, at times it goes to 169 but then down quickly and I know that's sodium. These days I usually feel nice and full. Last night I was looking for something to eat..I don't cook for the fam on Sun nights...and I couldn't find anything in the frige or pantry I wanted to eat. I finally decided if nothing looked good I probably didn't need to eat. I'm so used to eating just cause it's meal time. But I didn't and soon went to bed (early again). I then remembered about a year or so ago when I just couldn't seem to stop eating esp carbs and my bs were going crazy high. I did some research and realized my body was "carb hungry" because it thought I was starving because the glucose was not getting into the cells. And I'd eat more carbs making the problem even worse. I am sure I posted about it. suddenly I realized the fullness I feel most of the time now is probably because my bs is now being better regulated, and it's going into the cell to be used by the body. All of a sudden it made sense. I really like this Januvia. The Amaryl helped the problem some but also made me gain weight (and I was already gaining due to my eating!) Now with Januvia I feel full and my bs are more stable. So glad the headaches are gone because I'm liking this.

Carol - You have a system...that's what I have too, just ours are different. I usually (not this morning tho!) have my daily cleaning done in my bathrooms and our bedroom done before I even get to the kitchen for breakfast. I also bring through the laundry if need to do it. Sometimes I even manage to weekly clean our bedroom. Then I spend sometime on the computer as I drink my breakast. After that if I don't go out I start doing my other household tasks. For my weekly cleaning I usually do my weekly cleaning one room (or somedays two small) a day and often alternate the living room and family room. I can't keep the family room clean and the living room is rarely used so it seems to work out. My house is never super clean nor super dirty (well some might think differently about the dirty part I guess).

This week another gd is having a birthday party, so I need to shop again.

The siding guy sent us two references to check. He didn't give us addresses, just phone numbers. Was hoping we could just drive by before deciding whether to call. And it sounds like one is still being worked on, so at this point, I'm still not totally pleased with them. But we'll see. The neat thing is about if we go with this cheaper company, we could easily get a new roof in a few months too, so it is tempting. We have another salesman coming this week to give us an estimate. And I still need to check on the trim the previous guys talked about. Just been too busy.

Well better get to work...talk later. You all have a good day!

Be very careful, Mary. You hear of so many contractors taking advantage of people. I hope you get all the work done you want done and it is satisfactory to you and DH.

This morning I heard the hedge clippers running out front. I had told DH I would help him trim the shrubs if he did it at a time when the sun wasn't beastly hot. The front of our house is shady in the morning, so I went out and helped him. I raked up the clippings and put them in the wheelbarrow and he took them around the back and dumped them on the hill. The shrubs look so nice trimmed and they badly needed it. They are evergreen shrubs around the steps and porch. When we put them in, I wanted to put in these bushes that DH calls jagger bushes. They seem to stop growing at a certain point and don't need to be trimmed. I was thinking ahead, but DH said he didn't want jagger bushes.

Samdy, I have a bush that I think is called Dianthus. I bought it years ago and put it on the side of the house. It was really small, possibly 12 inches in diameter. It never got any blooms on it and never grew bigger. I moved it around the corner of the house to the front and it went crazy. Now it's about 5 ft in diameter and blooms nicely. We trimmed it back a little today to make it a little neater. DH didn't want to cut off all the blooms.

Mary, yesterday when I was reading up about the Avapro, I could have sworn that I read that it can cause a drop in blood sugar. Now I can't find that same article so I don't know if I'm mistaken. That would explain how my blood sugar is so good now with very little meds. It might not be my diet after all. Also, I don't know when your doctor took you off the Avapro in relationship to when your blood sugar seemed to get worse. I didn't gain weight from the Amaryl, but I thought it might be keeping me from losing. I haven't lost any weight since I cut back to a lower dose. I had to take the full 2mg this morning because my BS was up, probably from the lasagne I ate last night. But I haven't taken any more the rest of the day and my BS was 116 just now. I ate some of DH's french fries at lunch, a few M&Ms and a chocolate chip cookie, but only had plain chicken legs for dinner. Nothing with it.

Good evening GG's,

It was a sunny day today, until I was finishing up my errands, then at the last stop it started pouring down rain. I tried to find a closer parking spot, but couldn't. Finally found one a little closer and it seemed that the rain had slowed a little bit. I used my umbrella and didn't get too terribly wet. Went in and made my purchase. By the time I was ready to come out, it was still raining, but not so bad that my umbrella wouldn't help me.

I got to talk to my mom the other day ~ she sounded pretty good. Yesterday, she was sleeping when I called. Today, I just wasn't able to call at the right times.

I finished Evie's doll's dress. So, now, just have to get them wrapped up and sent off.

It was kind of a quiet weekend. Friday, I went with Jason to an appointment, then went with him to his apartment and helped him cut up his vegetables for the baggies he puts up for the week for his lunches. He can do it himself, but if I do it, it frees up a little of his time to prepare some of the other stuff, and gives us a chance to visit. I take any chance I can get to visit with my kids, because you never know when they are gonna be busy doing something else and there may not be a chance.

Had a doctor's appointment today ~ rheumatologist ~ she says my RA is in a good place ~ meds are controling it pretty well, and the x-rays of my joints are only showing wear and tear ~ not the bad damage that sometimes occurs with RA. I think mine was caught in time and medicines given before I got bad joint damage.

I woke up with a headache, it took all day for it to get gone. Glad it finally is gone ~ I needed to make a pot of soup and it eased up enough that I could do that.

Mary ~ sorry you had another night of little sleep. I don't know how you keep going and do all the cleaning you do and watching the kids, on such little rest. It makes me think of a song we sang in youth group ~ The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength ~ maybe that is what gets you through. Hope you will be able to find the right deal for your siding. I'm glad the Januvia is helping with your blood sugars and all and that you are starting to feel like you are making some progress.

Carol Sue ~ that was funny ~ the thing you shared about the auto correct. I have to be careful ~ I have found that my phone auto corrects my little granddaughter Evie's name into Evil. Thank goodness, I have caught it before sending it out like that. Ouch ~ sounds like that hurt when your sleeping husband punched you in the head. I haven't had anything like that happen, but I can't wake my husband without startling him, and one time, he looked so angry with me ~ it was kind of scary. I don't know what the answer is ~ I guess just to wait until he wakes up on his own.

Sandy ~ It made me smile about you not telling someone else how to load the dish washer anymore. My husband was doing all that kind of thing when I was still working and he was retired. When I got retired too, sometimes I would load the dish washer ~ it drove him nuts ~ I didn't do it “right”. I guess he finally got to where he had so much else to do, he started letting me do it. I do it all the time now. And guess what ~ the dishes get clean even though I don't load it like he did. LOL

Thinking of you Karrine. Prayers continue for you and Nan.

How are you doing Emaline?

I sort of want to do some hand stitching with my free time tonight, but there is a tiny twinge of a headache still there. I am afraid it might start up again. I did a lot of hand stitching yesterday and wondered if using my eyes so much had anything to do with the headache. To stitch or not to stitch........

Hope you all have had a good day.

The picture is of the finished dress for Evie and the finished little dress for her doll

Gayle, those dresses are so pretty! I showed the pic to my DH. He was impressed, too.

When DH retired and I was still working he started doing a lot of things around the house. Part of it was because he was bored, and part because he wanted me to be free to run around with him on weekends. He started doing the laundry. Do you know the little cup they give you to measure the powdered detergent? Well he put a line on it with a magic marker and told me that is how much soap you are supposed to use. No more. He says if there is suds in the laundry tub after the load is done then you used too much soap and it didn't all get rinsed out of the clothes. Sometimes, If I am doing laundry, he will stand there and make sure I'm not using "too much." After he walks away I add a little more. LOL I want to SEE suds in the washer. LOL Also, he insists that we use Tide. He said his mother always used Tide. I told him that was because back then there were no other detergents like they have now. What man cares how his clothes are washed? Most just want there to be clean clothes. Also, he uses hot for everything. Hot water and hot dryer. So he's not allowed to wash my tops or any dress clothes. One time when I was drying my tops, he went into the laundry room and saw that I had it on low and he turned it to high. Says they dry faster. I screamed at him so bad he will never touch the dryer again when I am using it.

We don't have a dish washer, so he doesn't care how I wash dishes, just so I do them.

About your RA. It never entered my mind that the meds would keep the joint damage from progressing. I always thought the meds were just to ease the pain. I'm glad that you got a good report from the rheumatologist.

Jason probably enjoys the time he gets to spend with you, too. You are a good mother.

Yesterday was a tiring day...not even sure why, guess cause I'd had so little sleep the night before. The kids were good and I managed to get all the housework done before going to the grocery store but just barely. Mama was home then and Dh by then was also free so we went to the store together. We shopped Costco, two grocery stores and a quick stop at RiteAid for a perscription that had not been filled by Express Scripts because the drs office said it wasn't time and it had just gotten pushed aside I guess. Didn't even show up on the website anymore. I kept thinking it was coming and realized the other day I was almost out and it's for my BP. Dh uses the same med only 1/2 what I take so I borrowed from him and then called yesterday. They explained about the dr so I messaged the clinic and they said that in Feb it wasn't due yet so they wouldn't prescribe....but then I had no prescription and ran out...does that make sense:?: After three tries with the dr Express Scripts lets me know to contact them which I did but since the two did not agree, nothing got done. You'd think the drs office would have sent over a prescription and just dated it out more if they didn't feel it was time...at least then I've gotten the med. I have never had this problem til I changed clinics but I also think Express Scripts made some changes about that time too.

I hadn't been home long when I realized it was time for dinner...I had picked up some cube steaks so quickly made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy and made veggie medley called Mexican Zucchini. Thought it was a meal most would eat at least some things. Dh didn't care for it but he ate it and my son enjoyed it except refused the veggie, which didn't surprise me. I should make some veggies he likes, there are a few. My dil liked them but would have liked more cheese on top. The kids only ate the meat. Well at least they ate.

So far today I have put away laundry I washed and folded yesterday, and done the daily stuff in our bathrooms and our bedroom, and also stripped the trundle bed in my office. I plan to weekly clean in my office and the hall today. Won't take long. Then I hope to get to the research I want to do on the house trim. I don't have much time to be on my computer since the kids sleep in here. Also need to shop for my other gd's birthday, but not sure that will happen today cause I think I have to babysit this afternoon. Not sure what we will have for dinner yet. Probably either vegetable beef soup or taco salad.

I returned a top I ordered from another Lularoe consultant...it was too see thru so told her I was sending it back and she said I could exchange. Can't find anything I want so am asking for a refund but not sure she will agree to that. Also want to check out my nephew's obit today as I hear it's online.

Dh is still not himself.....kind of down, unhappy and angry, more picky...I hope its the withdrawal from the med and goes away fast. Later after he rested he yesterday and this morning he seemed fine. So maybe he was just tired. This morning he went to his retiree meeting, good for him to be socializing I think.

Yes that auto correct is a problem...I'm amazes how it changes some of my texts! Some I've caught, some I haven't.:o

Mary, DH would never eat chicken fried steak so I know not to make it. I used to love it and would order it out in restaurants, but my tastes have changed and now I don't like any meat with any coating, seasoning, or sauce, other than salt and pepper. When raising my step-children they ate most of what I made, but there were a couple vegetables my step son didn't like. When he was younger and with his parents, he was forced to eat them, but I always fixed a second vegetable if I was serving one he didn't like. I would not have fixed a second whole meal, but a second vegetable was not a problem. He would not eat peas or lima beans. There were never any vegetables left over after dinner. DH used to eat whatever I fixed back then, too, but I think he did that so his kids would eat it. After they moved out there were several things he told me never to make again. LOL

I ate some junk food last night and got a high spike. I think I just got so used to seeing all those low reading and thought I was able to eat anything. I have proven to myself that I can't.

Last night I made Chicken Viola!, which I keep in the freezer for times when I need a fast meal. I cooked an extra chicken breast to cut up in it because they don't put enough in. It's OK for an emergency. I buy the Alfredo flavor. It's ready in 15 minutes, but it took longer for me to cook that extra chicken.

Maybe it is bothering DH that the kids are living there but he knows not to complain about it, since it's only temporary. I think when you're older and used to having your place to yourself, having those people around 24/7 can wear you down, even though it's your own children.

We went to the gym and made a brief stop at Wal-mart to shop for a gift for our gd. Only found a couple small things but may shop again tomorrow. Her party isn't until Sat. Son called us home to babysit after that and mama just came home to get them. We forgot we had a siding salesman coming but the kids were good. They were cranky after that though and we are tired. I was kinda upset with my son last night. Without asking us, he told the kids they could stay up until we went to bed, and the parents went to bed. They usually watch movies or play games for a while, so he did check in a couple times but still it meant we were basically babysitting. I am going to have to tell him that cannot happen again. The kids were good, but were asking for things and I got pretty tired. The only reason I let it go was because I knew he was pretty stressed and tired himself and mama said she didn't feel well.

This siding thing is getting discouraging. Because our house is so old some things have to be repaired or replaced and that all means more money. Just may have to save longer than expected but then they say the price will be higher next year too. We also need a new roof. Dh and I were saying now we understand why many people don't remodel, they just move into a newer home! We didn't want the longer mortgage and I'm still glad we don't have that, but the remodeling is expensive too. But at least with the remodeling we have a choice...we don't have to fix the house up as long as it is not as there is no problem, like a leaking roof. Just would be nice to make it look better too. I have to remember that being debt free is much better.:D The nicer home will come in time....or not..either way is ok. Some people have recommended we just paint our old aluminum siding but I've always felt paint might just emphasize all dents etc., I don't know.

Well dh just went to get some salsa and guacamole for the taco salad, so I'd better start preparing it. You all have a nice evening.

Mary, that is why DH said we will only do what needs repaired on our house. It is newer than most of the houses on our street. Only 3 were built after ours. I can understand that you want the siding to look nice. I hope you are able to get it all done without too much expense.

A guy came and gave us an estimate to remove a dead tree that would hit the house if a good wind took it down. We have had a couple others fall, but they were far enough away from the house and caused no damage. We hope to get that done in the next week or so. A neighbor recommended this guy, and here it turned out that I grew up several houses away from his father, 60 years ago. Small world.

The doctor's office just called and changed my appointment tomorrow from 3:30 to 1:30. They had a cancellation. He will probably get to leave earlier now, and that will open up my day, also.

Good afternoon GG's,

It is a nice sunny day today. It has been a good couple days ~ I have felt pretty good and gotten some stuff done. I have finished up several small sewing/hand sewing projects. Got Evie's birthday gift (the dress and doll dress) wrapped and packed up to send.

Maddie has been with her other grandma, so it has been quiet here. Not that it isn't usually quiet, but it is easier to get stuff done when I am not having to stop what I am doing off and on to help Maddie with stuff.

Sometimes, I do stuff ~ not really important stuff ~ just something that needs doing and I never get around to it. This morning, I was going through the pictures I have on my computer. A lot of them were saved with numbers that were assigned from the camera. It is easier to find one you are looking for if it has a person's name or occasion instead of the number. So, I was doing that ~ replacing the numbers with words. For a long time, I didn't know you could do that ~ but I have learned a lot (a lot of times by accident) over time.

Steve takes over the TV I watch while he makes his breakfast ~ has to get his news fix. I'll be glad when he is done so I can switch it back to something else. Usually that is when I have been going to the other room and doing my PT exercises, but I am a little off this morning. Taking advantage of being “off duty” LOL.

Carol Sue ~ that is sort of where we are with our house. Just doing the things that need to be done to keep it in good repair. When we first moved here ~ December of 2006 ~ wow ~ where has the time gone? There were things I would have liked to do ~ decorating things ~ making it more “us”. But we have never gotten around to it. We have talked about maybe someday moving to like maybe a condo or something where someone else does the yard work and outdoor upkeep of the structure. Part of me thinks ~ we could just stay here and pay someone to do it. Either way it is gonna cost money. I like my house ~ it one story ~ so no stairs to deal with as we age. I guess if we have lived here this long with out doing that decorating stuff, it sort of doesn't make much sense to do it now. We might have to update the kitchen to sell it. That is the kind of work that bugs me ~ spending money that I'll not get to enjoy. Oh well ~ guess we do what we gotta do.

Mary ~ I don't envy you trying to decide on the siding thing. I am so thankful that Steve does all that stuff. Does the research and talks to the people. I'm sorry that you had extra duty with the kids. Hope you can get some rest. It is nice to have some time when they aren't here. I love having Maddie, but also enjoy when she isn't here. Sometimes when I feel like it is too much, I think back on when I lived in NC and Corbin was little and I only got to see him once a year ~ then I am glad for the opportunity to get to spend time with Maddie. Of course, there was one year I came to visit Sara and Corbin ~ and he was maybe 3 or 4. That visit wasn't much fun ~ he was always mad at me ~ I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't do the puzzles right, I didn't color right, I didn't toss the ball right. When that visit was over, I felt like I wasn't in any hurry to go back the next year. But of course, by the time it was time to go again, I was missing him terrible and the not so fun parts of that last visit were long forgotten.

Hello Sandy, Karrine, Emaline.

Guess I will get this posted and go do those PT exercises, so I can get on to something else. I've got a bunch of bananas to cut up and freeze for smoothies.

Hope you all are having a good day.

Gayle, I don't like the idea of having to upgrade your house to sell it. I know they tell you that is what makes it more appealing, but some people might not like your choice of things, like cabinets, carpet etc. I would rather cut the price a bit and they can upgrade to their liking. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law lived in a 100 year old home for 20 years. They did some cosmetic upgrades to their liking, but when they sold the house they put all new windows in because they didn't think the house would sell with the old single pane windows. I felt that they lived there all those years, paying sky high heating bills because the windows didn't keep the cold weather out, then they put the new windows in for someone else. We get a lot of single digit temperatures here in PA.

Today I was reading through The End of Diabetes by Dr Joel Fuhrman, and I am going to go back to eating more vegetables. I've gotten away from it over time. Dr Fuhrman makes it sound like vegetables are the key to healing a lot of health problems. I still eat them, but not large portions like I was. Either way, I don't see any big changes in my weight or blood sugar/blood pressure. I don't really eliminate all the things he says to eliminate, though. I can't cut as far back on animal protein as he recommends, and I still eat things like eggs and dairy.

Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment so I will find out why my stress test was "slightly abnormal." I will listen to what he has to say and his recommendations. I will probably tell him that I have been having some dizziness. I didn't want to tell him, but I had it a bit again today and it might be significant to my condition. DH tells me not to tell him because he will put me in the hospital, but if I need to be in the hospital, so be it. If there's a problem, better to get it taken care of. It's been a long two weeks waiting and finally I'm going to get the prognosis.

We hardly ever see our grandson anymore. He is busy with activities. Baseball is over, and now it's Cub Scouts. We are going to watch him for a short time on Monday while his mother goes to the dentist. If we weren't available, she would have just had to take him with her.

I guess the doctor just wanted another $45. He said he thinks the stress test was good, but showed a false positive. I'm happy!

My weight is up 3# again...I think it's sodium because I've been eating salty foods recently. We had taco salad one night and corn chips with that plus the taco seasoning (pkg) is kinda salty too. On Sun at the birthday party, I ate 3 small pcs of pizza and one was very salty. I think most restaurant food and pkg food is more salty than what I usually fix. So I go up and down. I did have more corn chips yesterday with leftover salad, however I it was pizza night (boy that comes around fast!) and I didn't eat any! Probably first time in my life I have't eaten at least 1 slice! There was also birthday cake and I did eat one pc of that. Wish I'd only eaten 1/2 a slice now. But that was all I ate the rest of the evening.

Today all I've had a is a slim-fast drink. Will have lunch soon though. We went to the gym this morning and then more shopping for the real birthday party tomorrow.

Still haven't gotten in the living room to clean. It usually isn't really dirty because we rarely are in there but for some reason I have trouble getting myself to do it some weeks. Also need to quickly vac the fam room.

Carol - I've lived with this bad siding for almost 40 years, so I do want to get it replaced, but it is very expensive. I remember when I used to think $10,000 would cover it. :D Our siding is the worst in our cul-de-sac and probably always has been as I think it probably needed replacing when we moved in. The kitchen and one bathroom also needed remodelling. We finally got that bathroom done a couple years ago...dh did it. So believe me, we are not doing anything that doesn't need to be done....really we need to do more. The roof needs to be replaced. Dh did it in 1999 or 2000, but that wasn't his trade...it's just that he sees himself as a jack of all trades and usually can do a fair to good job at most things...and it needs to be redone...he just put shingles over the original and it all needs to be removed and reshingled now. Thought about doing that first as we probably have enough money for just the roof but I'd have to settle for a color that will match any color siding and I'd rather have the siding first so I know the color I want. The roof isn't leaking into the attic but we do have dry-rot and will have to get some of that repaired before we can get all the siding done even as they will be painting the trim and soffets as part of the job.

Hope things aren't too bad with the stress test results. I'm not sure I could "pass" one anymore. My heart rate went up very quickly last time. I never felt short of breath though. Dh always passes with flying colors and they praise him on how he does at his age.

Glynne - I have so many pics on my computer and have tried to organize them but really haven't got them like I'd like still. I set up folders for each family and some others like friends (you and Steve are in there!), and extended family on each side etc. So when I save a pic I try to put in into the right folder but I notice sometimes I get it in the wrong one. So it's kind of chaos right now.:dizzy: Another thing I'd like to work on when I have time.
Also have a chest and a box full of hard copy pics in this office too to go through...started that project once and then stopped. Also started transferring VHS tapes to DVDs, got about 1/2 way through and stopped. So much to do! I thought our modern day life was supposed to be easier...

Well done resting...need to have lunch and get to work.

ETA: I saw some old friends in Walmart today...they are just a little younger than us but have been much worse off medically esp the dh. They are both diabetic and he is on dialysis. But they both had lost a lot weight and looked very healthy today. Made me want to try harder, but I do get discouraged when I lose 10# and there is NO change in my middle, my biggest area!

Oh I just noticed you'd already posted the result of the doctor's visit. So happy for you! :)

I got my living room cleaned and rested a bit, tried to stay away from taking care of the children as I needed to rest and now I've got dinner in the oven. It's Baked honey Sesame Chicken and rice, plus I'm going to stir-fry whatever veggies I have. Dh is so glad to finally have rice again as it's been several days, unusual for us.

Found out today that my son got sorta a promotion...don't know how to describe it exactly but it's more focus and authority in one area that he's especially good at. So far no talk of a raise but he is hoping.

Mary, years back we got a leak in our kitchen ceiling. We didn't realize our roof was leaking, but it became an emergency. DH was much younger then and was going to do it himself and get some brothers to help, but I told him I worried about someone falling so we got a company to do it. They had to replace a lot of wood as it was so damaged. This past time the roof wasn't really bad, but they were able to get it approved for hail damage so we were lucky to get that done. It will probably be our last new roof. I understand your wanting to replace the siding, and the front door, too, since you have had it that way for so long. We have lived here for 35 years, and the house is 45 years old. DH wants to get some gutter guards as we get a lot of leaves in the gutters.

I commend you for saving up for these home improvements instead of going into debt.

Good for you on passing up on the pizza! When DH orders pizza, I will eat the toppings off a slice and skip the carby crust. Sometimes I chop up the cheese and toppings and mix it into a salad. I call it pizza salad. My weight is way up, too, Mary. Yesterday, I ate so many fatty, carby foods. It is really not like me to do that. I felt terrible all evening. Also, at the restaurant, when they brought my sandwich, it had a pile of potato chips on the plate. I ate them and they were very salty. My blood pressure went way up. This restaurant does that if you order a sandwich without a side dish. Next time I will have to remember to tell them "no potato chips." I took a lot of Amaryl yesterday! Back to my healthier eating today! The only healthy food that went into my mouth yesterday as the lettuce and tomato that was on my sandwich. I was celebrating my good doctor visit!

We recently went though a box of old pictures we had and saw so many we had forgotten about. I have some albums I had bought and never got around to putting the pictures in, and I don't know if I will do it now. They would have to be sorted out according to date. I hate seeing how thin I was back then. LOL

I hope your son gets a raise with his promotion. Congratulations to him! I was reading in the paper this week that there will start to be more jobs available than available workers due to so many baby boomers reaching retirement age. I know a lot of baby boomers continue to work after retirement age, but many of them just do part time work. That will be good for the younger generations.

Good afternoon GG's,

Sat. 6/25

Kind of a quiet couple days. Maddie stayed over night with frineds, so she wasn't here Friday. Steve and Jason had appointments, so I had some alone time.

I was messaging online with a friend and somehow we got to talking about where we lived. It started me on a trip down memory lane and I was looking to see if I could find pictures of the different homes I had lived in. That was kind of fun ~ and some of it a little sad. One house was a pretty, old house (built in 1888) with charm and character. The people who lived there after us, did some remodeling ~ things to improve the heat loss in the winter ~ new windows and stuff like that, but to me they ruined it. I guess it had to be done, but the replacements didn't really go with the style of the house. It was changed inside too. I saw pictures on a real estate website. They probably did the best they could ~ it is an economically depressed area in Maine. I think eventually the house was foreclosed on from the information on the real estate website. Sad.

Sun. 6/26

I started this yesterday, but never got back to it. After looking for the house pictures, I was kind of at odds ~ didn't know what to do with myself. I was waiting for Jason to call and say he was ready for me to come visit/do the vegetables. I might not have felt so restless if I had been working on some kind of project, but felt that Jason might call at any time and I didn't want to get a bunch of stuff out and start on something then have to put it up. Times like that are when I start wanting to munch. I wasn't really hungry ~ would have eaten, but didn't want to do that ~ I end up feeling too full and not feeling good. I chewed gum, but that didn't “do it” for me. Then I decided to have a few pieces of hard candy. I had some sugar free that I had forgotten about, so had some of those. I didn't pay any attention to how many I ate. That seemed to satisfy me. But later, my stomach started cramping up and rumbling, then the diarrhea started. I looked at the package and it cautioned that if you are sensitive to artificial sweeteners it could upset your stomach. Or if you ate too many it could cause diarrhea. So, I guess that is what happened. One other time, I got some cookies at the grocery store that were labeled as sugar free ~ they did me sort of the same way ~ I got bad stomach cramps. I won't be eating those again, or if I do, will pay attention to how many I eat. My weight was down, but that wasn't a fun way to lose it.

I keep hard candy on hand and take along in my purse. Sometimes I get real hungry and I know Steve is not gonna stop so I can get something. I usually try to take along a banana or some glucerna or peanut butter crackers, but you don't always intend to be gone as long as it ends up being, so the hard candy will help in a pinch. I started doing that when the kids were growing up. We would be traveling and they would get hungry and Steve was bound and determined to keep going ~ the kids would get hungry and cranky. So, a few pieces of hard candy would help with the hunger until he was ready to stop and feed us.

As it turned out, Jason wasn't feeling well and had enough stuff left from the stuff I fixed up last weekend, to make it through this week. So, he was trying to get to feeling better and told me he didn't feel up to a visit.

We had sort of a little scare last night. It started raining. There was a big crash of thunder that made me jump. You know how they say that if you count the seconds between the lightening and the crash ~ tells you how many miles away the strom is from you? Well there came a second crash and lightening and they came both at the same time. There was a flash of light right outside the family room window ~ the TV went off and one of the electronic things started making a screaching noise. I called Steve to come look at it. I was afraid of a fire and that that lightening had fried the satelite reciever.

No fire thank goodness, and all that stuff was plugged in to one of those surge protector/power strips. Steve got out another one and plugged the stuff in and it worked. He said ~ looks like the power strip did it's job.

I was afraid of a fire ~ growing up, we had lightening and thunder like that ~ both at the same time ~ and soon there was smoke in the house ~ we thought it had struck the roof, came in through the metal strip in the corner of the wall, out a nail in the baseboard and sparked into a basket of clean clothes ~ it all happened so fast ~ fire was going up the drapes in the room by the time we figured out where the smoke was coming from. One of us called the fire department, and we made a bucket brigade and by the time the fire department came we had the fire out. Oh my ~ how scary, but we were so thankful that everyone was ok and that our house was ok.

Carol Sue ~ I'm glad your stress test results were ok. What a relief. I too don't cut back as far as the Furhman diet says to. I do think I remember reading in there that occasional meat is ok and that if you can stick to it like 90% or something like that ~ that is still pretty good. I also think that these diets aren't a one size fits all kind of thing. I feel like maybe a diabetic person's needs are a bit different than a regular person. Even though he has that book, each person is a little different and has to figure out what works for them. And if beans (which is supposed to be the source of protein on this diet) upset your stomach and you can't tolerate them ~ or at least not in quantities large enough to provide you with adequate protein ~ you have to get protein from somewhere. I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with, so if I keep doing (meat wise) like I already was, I don't feel like I am doing a bad job. I do make progress when I stick with mostly the vegetables and fruits. What messes me up is not the stuff like meat and cheese, it is the snacky stuff, sweets ~ the stuff I know I shouldn't have. I do feel better when I eat the right things, but sometimes I just “want” some of those other things.

Mary ~ happy for your son that good things are happening at work ~ hope he gets the raise as well. I have done sort of the same thing as you have described with the pictures on the computer. I have a folder for the different families/people. That has helped some. But having the name/wording that you save it under is what helps a lot when I am searching for a particular picture for sharing or one of my projects. What ever program this lap top uses ~ I can type in a word or name into the search thing for the pictures and it brings up any labeled with that word. That is why I was trying to change over the ones that only had numbers identifying them.

Sorry this got so long ~ this is part of what I do when I don't know what to do with myself. It keeps me busy and my hands out of the food.

Hello Sandy, Karrine, Emaline.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

The kids are gone so it's very quiet here this afternoon. They were home when we left for church and said they were going house hunting. We came home for lunch because we have so many leftovers right now...Baked honey chicken and hot wings and drumsticks, and beef vegetable soup. I haven't eaten any of that though...I had 1/2 cup of Trop 50 OJ and then lay down for a nap and was there two hours. Drank the OJ because my bs was on the low side. When I got up I ate strawberries with whipped cream. Yummy! I'll probably make some rice and eat the honey chicken with it later on.

The party went well yesterday and the kids have been enjoying all the new toys since then. We left slightly early because the caffeine in the diet soda upset my tummy. I needed the rest after the party and then cooking quite a while, my legs were hurting and felt good to lay down.

Last night I had a wierd dream ...I thought I heard our door open and figured it was one of the little kids. I sat half way up and said, "what." I think. But they didn't say anything and no one came in. Then suddenly I heard this giggle from my side of the bed...I thought perhaps it must be my granddaughter, but in my sleepy mind it sounded kind of evil, not like her. I waited a few minutes, but nothing more so I decided I had just dreamed it. I got up to go to the bathroom, taking my lighted phone and there was no one there. Crazy how one can do this, and I hadn't had anything like happen in a long time.

Glynne - I've done that same thing with sugar-free candy a few times. I too have learned to read the ingredients...it's the malto-dextrin they use I think if I remember correctly. Glad no fire.

Carol - We got the Leaf Guard Gutter system a few years back and it's been great. I didn't want dh to be up there cleaning the gutters. We do still get the pine needles on our house plus mold so hoping we can get our son to take care of that soon.

A group of guys just cut down a dead tree on the hill behind our house. It took them about an hour. They are braver than I am! The one guy climbed up the tree with a chain saw, and the other guys used their rope and equipment to pull the branches down as he cut them off. Then he cut the trunk into pieces as he climbed back down. We have a couple other dead trees on the hill, but that one was in position to hit the house if a strong storm came along.

Gayle, I was searching online for a forum that follows the Nutritarian Diet and I could not find any, except for one from a few years ago, no recent posts. I guess no one is interested in eating vegetables. The more I read about it the more I decided that what I do is Flexitarian. Where you eat all the nutrients, but still have some animal protein. The book I use is The End of Diabetes and his plan is much like Eat To Live, but the book describes a lot more about diabetes. He allows for very small portions of meat. I'm surprised, but he says fish is not good for diabetics, but I forget why. I will have to go back and read it again. He says to start the beans with very small portions and work your way up gradually. I never ate 2 cups of beans a day the way he recommends. I have them packaged in freezer bags in 1/2 cup portions so they are handy.

The only thing I buy that is sugar-free is popsicles and cough drops. Oh, and my diet Coke. I never noticed any undesirable side effects. We keep packages of peanut butter crackers in the console of the car, but we are not usually riding for that long that there's no food available. DH always has hard candy with him because that replaced the cigarettes he used to smoke years ago. I don't like hard candy, but needed it that one time that my sugar went down to 44.

We have never had a fire, but I am always worried about it. One time when I lived in my apartment, I came home and found I had left a candle burning, and the outside casing of the candle holder was starting to melt. No candles every since that day. My step-daughter used to like to burn candles in her room. I was always telling her not to, but she didn't always listen to me. I was always wondering if she was smoking and trying to cover the smell, or worse, smoking something else. We never had any obvious issues with that, but who knows what kids try behind your backs. I also worry about fire when I'm cooking. I think that's a good reason not to do it. LOL

Mary, DH has dreams that someone is in our room, often. He actually tells me that someone is in the room, as if he's awake, but he's not awake. I wake him up and he realizes he was dreaming. One time it was his mother, and other times it was a man coming to get us. I told him if a stranger was in the house the dog would be barking/growling.

Just got back from the gym a few minutes ago and now we are babysitting while the kids sign the papers to put in an offer on a house. Our son took us by it the other day, didn't go inside, but it looked really nice. There was also another he liked better and I could see why but they are both nice. His wife and children liked the first one best so they are going with that one. He was very excited to finally be making an offer and we hope it works out for them.

I thought my headaches were gone ...but about 2 am I got them again. At 4 I got up and took Tyl and it really helped. So glad they respond to it at least.

I don't buy sugar free products much either...the times it bothered my tummy was once or twice when I tried the candy. Learned my lesson since if I have candy I will always eat more than I should..and it was a long time ago. When we eat out I often order a diet coke, pepsi or dr pepper but here at home we rarely have it unless our son buys it for us on pizza night. Oh and I also buy sf cough drops, so far they don't bother me. In fact I like the cherry ones a little too much.;)

I'm trying to cut back on my carbs more because I'd like to drop one of the Amaryl tabs but I am not sure i can get myself to do it. I wish I liked meat more esp chicken, but if I'm going to eat meat I actually prefer beef. I do like beans but of course they are also carb. Also I'd like to see lower weight numbers, I'm still going up and down in my 3-4# range but I'd like to see that range be lower. :dizzy:

I haven't done anything here at home, so need to get started. Just sit down to rest a bit. If the kids don't keep me too busy, I will weekly clean our bath and bedroom today as usual on Mon. I feel restless, want to do something different...would like to travel or something, but won't leave my house right now.

I was looking at the top corner of our Leaf Guard gutter system. That corner was dented. I checked the other corner and it was fine, so think something hit it. We no longer have a trailer that is that tall, so dh thinks the men did it when they delivered bark dust and we just now noticed. He's going to call Leaf Guard and said even if we have to pay for it (because its probably not their fault) it shouldn't be that much to repair. Also dh says we have to have three large trees cut down...well two we have to because they are dead and even our neighbor behind us is worried about them falling and the other dh doesn't like cause it's too close to the house (foundation) and because the needles fall all over our roof and the side neighbor's roof. That will only leave 2 tall but slender trees in the back yard and they haven't looked very healthy to me for a long time. I think we will miss the shade because when we first moved here the trees weren't tall and it was very hot on that side of the house. Since then it's not been bad at all because of the trees growing. At least we have AC in the house now so can escape inside and usually we don't get really hot weather that much, however last spring and summer it was much warmer and dryer and so far also this year. We are having 80+ days already now and then. But those three trees will cost a lot. Plus we want to get someone out to repair the dry rot on a portion of the roof. So don't know when we'll be able to get the siding down now.

I dead-headed the rhodies again yesterday...doing a little at a time as usual...still have one side of one large plant to do. I also took care of the roses. They need more care than I am willing to give any more so now I just take off the old dried up flowers mostly. If they die out so be it, we'll plant something else that doesn't require so much attention. It was too hot to stay out there long.

Tonight I think I'll bake a small steak...it probably won't be enough for the kids but they probably won't want it anyway. They can eat what they want...there are plenty of leftovers as well.

Gotta get busy....

Mary, there seems to be a contraversy about beans. They list a high carb count, but I have also seen them listed as a meat replacement, because if the protein. I think the fiber in them offsets the carb count. Dr Fhurman doesn't believe in eating any starchy carbs, such as pasta, bread, rice or potatoes, but he is a big promoter of beans, as much as two cups a day, if you increase gradually. I have never eaten that many, and I never really tested afterwards to see if they spiked blood sugar. When I eat them, they are usually in a recipe where other foods are involved, not just plain.

I like chicken and I cook a lot of it for myself because DH prefers beef and only wants chicken occasionally. I am getting away from eating pork recently, although I used to like it. I seem to like the fattier cuts, and DH likes lean loin cuts.

Yes the fiber in beans certainly offsets the carbs. I love beans and would eat a lot more of them if dh also liked them, but since he doesn't we don't have them often for dinner. I sometimes have them for lunch for myself though. I prefer pinto or kidney. I really like them with potatoes...more carbs but also more fiber. My weight has dropped back down one pound but I do think I've been eating too much. I think sometimes I've snacked for emotional reasons and I know better so need to cut that out.

Last night I made baked steak and a vegetable casserole. It was good but the casserole didn't thicken up as well as I'd liked and the steak was too salty. I scraped off the onion soup mix sauce that was under and over it so I think it will taste better now. It was otherwise very tender and tasty. I think the steak was just not large enough for the whole pkg of soup mix I used. For some reason I just wasn't thinking last night...I also made the whole recipe for the veggie casserole...I think before I've only made 1/2 just for us. I did the same thing when I made beef and veggie soup the other night...made too much. So wasting a lot and I hate that. I may be able to freeze the chicken and drumsticks at least. Not sure I'll bother to freeze the soup or veg casserole. I made a lot of the chicken wings/drumsticks on purpose thinking the kids would like them but only our son ate them (besides us). Tonight is leftover night so I will not be cooking unless I make some chicken fried rice to get rid of more of the drumsticks.

I helped in the back yard this beautiful morning...really enjoyed it. I finished dead-heading the rhodies...all I can reach at least. It's a big bush so took quite a while. Dh was raking and I could tell he was hurting so I took that over too and then helped him pick up the piles of debris. I really enjoy working outside now but I usually don't think about it or feel I'm too busy in doors.

I think it is time or almost time for dh to have help...so it's either me or hire someone. Our sons are willing but they don't know when to do things...dh won't usually ask for help and also they are busy with their own lives. I wonder whether we ought to try and find a small house with a small yard now, but I don't know. I know dh will do whatever I suggest, so feel it's up to me. We love our home and yard and our neighborhood is not bad. We've lost our old trusted neighbors and know our neighborhood is not 100% safe but compared to many it's pretty safe and we have the security systems in place. The house is plenty room for us but not way too big. We basically live in 6 rooms but venture into the living room to clean or to enjoy the real fireplace (electric one in fam room), or for family events, esp holidays. Six rooms includes the dining room with the kitchen plus we have 1 3/4 bathrooms. The only thing that is really too much for us is the yard. Dh does a really good job but I'm wondering if it is costing him too much physically/pain. He does enjoy working in the yard but it also causing him pain. How much is exercise and enjoyment and how much is over doing/wearing down of his body:?: It's hard to know what to do. These are things that I'm thinking and praying about today.

Yesterday, my husband shot a raccoon in the yard. We get groundhogs around sometimes, but I don't like when the raccoons come down into the yard. He went out on the deck and scared this one away but it came right back in a few minutes so he got his shotgun and killed it. It would tear Rusty apart if it got too close. A few years ago we had 3 raccoons and DH trapped them in a box trap and took them out to the country and released them. This one was just too close for comfort. I don't like to see any animal killed, but Rusty is more important to us, and this raccoon could have had rabies being out in the daytime.

The guys stirred things up on the hill on Monday when they were cutting down the tree. It's possible that they disturbed the habitat of the raccoon and that got him wandering around. I feel bad that he killed it.

Mary, our yard is small, but it's hard to maintain because of the hill behind the house. DH likes it because it means we have no neighbors behind us. DH usually weed whacks it every year but he's getting too old to be doing that now. I would love to move, but he woudn't. There was a house for sale up the street from us that was built on a slab with no basement, and an even smaller yard. It was wheel chair accessible inside. I was interested in buying it but DH said No. He's the one who has to maintain the house, so it's his decision. I also don't like that getting in or out of our house involves a flight of stairs, no matter which way you go. Who knows when we might reach a point where we cannot navigate stairs. The house we had before would be perfect for us now but it didn't have a garage.

Good evening GG's,

A nice sunny day today. Yesterday, it was rainy in the afteroon ~ with thunder and lightening. Maddie hates thunder and lightening ~ so stuck to me like glue ~ right up in my lap. I feel bad that she is scared of the storms, but don't mind a little extra snuggle time.

I've had two cooking days. Yesterday made a pot of vegetarian chili ~ Maddie loves that. And home made applesauce ~ Maddie likes that too. Today a bean loaf and two pans of roasted vegetables. That will hold us for a few days.

I got to talk to my mom today ~ she was doing really well ~ sounded good, talked to me for almost ½ an hour. Her speech was pretty clear today and her comments during the conversation were appropriate. I am so thankful after how she was a few weeks ago.

Carol Sue ~ I wish you could have gotten that other house ~ so you wouldn't have the worry about having to go up and down the stairs. Too bad about that racoon, but glad that Rusty will be safe now. I looked about that Flexitarian diet you mentioned. That sounded kind of like how I prefer to eat. I ordered a used copy of that book. Usually I try to get it at the library and see if I like it before I buy it, but our library didn't have it.

Mary ~ maybe you could keep a container of beans mixed up in your fridge ~ that you could eat like at lunch ~ just for you if Joe doesn't like them. In a container, I mix together a can of light red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans and I fill one of those empty cans (use it to measure a cans worth) of frozen shelled edamame. It is a colorful mixture and we like it. It gives that cup of beans daily that the Furhman diet encourages you to eat. We put a little raspberry/walnut vinagerette salad dressing on it, and also mix in the ground flax seeds that you are supposed to eat every day.

Hello to Sandy, Karrine and Emaline. Hope you all are doing ok.

Hope you all have had a good day and having a nice evening.

I've gotten most of my daily stuff done so am about to leave to do some shopping I've been putting off. Dh is fishing today so a good day to do my own thing. Not suppose to be so warm today...think it's to get to about 75. I got out early and watered a plant I wanted to be sure and get to before it got warmer. Last night I watered all the plants in the front yard..so starting on my commitment to help dh more outside. He prefers to do the mowing and as he can sorta lean on the mower (like the grocery cart) it relieves his pain somewhat and it is exercise. So will leave that to him for now.

Yesterday the men came and took down three of our trees...two were dead and the other was potentially dangerous to our foundation plus got pine needles on our roof and our neighbors' roof. They haven't complained but it bothered dh. So our back yard looks very open now. We have one puny kind of stunted looking evergreen in one corner of the side yard I'd forgotten about. Maybe it will do better now that the big tree is gone, but then it will have to go to if it does.:dizzy: Other than that just two other trees in the middle that are thinner and kinda stragglely. They are not evergreens and I have never liked them much but that's the way it is. The workers did a good job and cleaned up well afterwards too. Cost was $1730ish but dh rounded to $1800 for a tip and felt we got a good deal. Since the two dead trees had double trunks, dh said those are counted as two trees each so four trees plus the big one. The company we usually use quoted us $1500 just for the 2 (double trunked) trees. He didn't ask them about the big tree. Oh and they also made two chairs for dh to rest when working one on each side of our large backyard using the stump and leaving a back on one...just attached a board to the other..but he will enjoy them as he has to rest frequently now. He actually liked their work better than the other company. We talked a bit about possibly moving...but still don't know what to do...but he did say he thought he would be willing now if it were a small house with a small yard. We don't want a condo or apartment. But I don't know whether we can get enough from our place to buy another straight across...we don't want a mortgage. We could rent our house but that's still iffy...and probably a hassle...and we'd still be committed to a mortgage and if the renting doesn't work..what then? We have the money (as long as we are together) for a mortgage but it would cut into our discretionery income plus if he leaves me, I can not afford it. So unless we find the perfect circumstances, we'd rather stay here and just hire when necessary. I think right now he and I can manage the yards. We do hire for the big jobs like repairing the roof. I feel like it's going to work out just the way it should (our situation I mean).

Last night was leftovers again. I ended up just eating some lentil chips and a tofu dip I sampled at the store a week ago. It was a great combo but I ate too much and got sick of it. Very little calories and carbs though. But I also ate a lot of cherries last night and my bs was high this morning. My weight continues to be 2# above my sig so I need to try harder.

Glynne - I prefer just one kind of bean at time..I just remembered I also like black beans...so I eat pinto, kidney or black beans usually. I'm a very simple eater. Sometimes I eat them plain with a little salt and some raw veggies on the side. If I have potatoes, I love to cook a potato in my "waterless" cookware, mash, add s/p and a little Smart Balance and cover with beans. Dh wouldn't like it but I sure do! Not sure I'd want to eat beans every day as your diet prescribed but I do like them and when I open a can I usually eat the whole can in a couple or three days. When you cook in advance as you do, do you eat them up in the microwave or oven? I don't do well when I cook in advance...seems like my food always ends up overcooked or dry. Glad it works for you.

Carol Sue - I wouldn't like a racoon or a possum close to my house. I had a friend who got a whole bunch of possums under her house. That would creep me out. She handled it quite well even though she lived alone. She called people to come clear them out for her. I'd be screaming..."Joey!" (my dh.:)
We do occasionally get possums on our room ...at least the evidence they leave I am told seems to indicate them. I think they jump from the neighbors tree to our tree (the one we cut down yesterday) to our roof.
So perhaps less trees will help there too. I kinda hated to see that tree go, it was pretty. Dh says we will plant more flowering trees now. Perhaps buy larger ones and have them planted for us. We have one in our front yard. It is growing shoots up the side of the trunk...can you just take those shoots and start new trees? Take a long time to grow but at least it would be a tree if you can and it is a very pretty tree. Just wish the blooms lasted longer.

Sandy - guess you are probably working hard in your garden. Take care of yourself and don't overdue and hurt so much.

Well I need to get going...have a good day.

Gayle, I buy those frozen edamame but I just eat them by themselves for a snack. I never thought to combine the beans. I make corn and bean salsa. I combine a can of black beans, with a half can of corn, usually Mexican style, chopped red onion, and a tbs of olive oil and a tbs of vinegar. I add a dash of spices, like cumin or cilantro. The last time I made it I used jalapeno corn, and it added a bit of heat. The recipe calls for equal beans and corn, but I only use half of the corn. I put the other half of the can in a bag in the freezer for the next time. I like that. I keep it in a container in the refrigerator and eat it cold. I got the recipe from my step-daughter. At a party or get-together, I serve it with Scoops Tortilla chips. DH doesn't like it. He won't even try it. He only tolerates beans in chili.

Mary, we paid $425 to have this one tree cut down. No clean up, no haul away. DH Is going to burn the smaller branches and his brother and son want the bigger pieces for firewood. It was an Ash tree. We didn't know that until the tree guy told us. We have a large crabapple tree in our front yard. It gets beautiful flowers on it in the spring, then the little apples after the blooms are done. The deer like to eat the apples. DH didn't know it was going to get those apples or he would have chosen a different tree. He won't take it down now because it blocks the neighbors from seeing us when we are sitting on the front porch. LOL

I could live anywhere. I lived in an apartment building before I met DH and I didn't mind it, but DH hated it. He hated that you could hear the neighbors and they could hear you. When we dated, we spent most of our time at his house. There's always work with a house. Most of the older neighbors in our neighborhood pay someone to cut their grass, etc. We might reach that point some day. Yesterday, DH weed whacked the hill behind our house. I didn't think he was going to do it this year but after the issue with the raccoon he decided to do it. I like it so much better, but it's a lot of work to do it. With it cleared, we don't see as many critters.

That's cheap for a tree even if they didn't clear things up, Carol, if it was a large tree. We keep the wood but we have so much now that dh intends to sell it this time. They chipped up the branches etc for us in their wood chipper. Not sure we will have any need to hire them again but we would if we did.

We just got home from the gym a few minutes ago. I was tired but still got a good workout I think. Stopped at the CU to get some cash since it's the first. Can't believe how fast the 4th is coming. We are having a family get together, but the kids are doing the meat. I am making deviled eggs and probably fruit.
Unfortunately most of the gc don't care for fruit...they only think a treat is candy some other sugary thing. They don't seem to care for baked goods however, I think because they are not used to them. I may pickup some popsicles and fudgesicles too as I know they like them.

Yesterday I shopped til I dropped...got several inexpensive tops...wore one to the gym this morning and I really like it. The material looks like denim but is kinda stretchy. I also got some new eyeliner and a sharpener. You know all the years I've lived and I never thought about buying a makeup sharpener! I guess I thought since I'd always gotten them with a product, that that's the only way they came. :o But I needed a larger hole for a lip color pencil and so I asked about that and they had this sharpener with two different size holes and one that you can even make larger! So I bought that and I really like it...now all my makeup pencils are nicely pointed. Sometimes small thing makes me so happy. I also bought some BB cream. I've tried samples before but this is the first time I've bought it.

Last night was pizza night and I ate two pcs...told my son he's making me fatter bringing home pizza. I did have a salad with it, but the pizza even when I feel sick of it...still tempted me. Next time I'll try to keep it to one slice.

Yes there is always work with a house...for sure. Never ends. Our dd gets deer in their back yard. They love that. No apple tree even. So far they just get mamas with babies. When we were RVing, in some areas, we would get them behind our trailer. I liked watching them. But I know they can be pests ...with plants etc.

Hello Glynne and Sandy...

Mary, back when I was still able to eat pizza I did something psychological with myself to get me to eat less. I would take one slice and cut it in half, and tell myself I had 2 slices. It really did work!! Some of my friends thought I was crazy. LOL

I am not much of a fruit eater. We rarely had it at home growing up. I will eat it occasionally, but seem to prefer something more savory instead.

CarolSue You don't eat fruit and I eat too much and want more. I've already had over a cup of blueberries with my cereal this morning and just finished an apple with 1/2 peanutbutter sandwich. I'll probably have a banana before I got to bed. We always have a big fruit bowl on the table and the 3 of us empty it twice a week. Wish I enjoyed beans as much as you and Mary do. I will fix the edamame as a wonderful treat. DH blends a can of Asparagus with some blueberries and pineapple and add about 1/3 cup to his milk for Breakfast and for Supper. I prefer my Asparagus cooked and on the side of my plate, but wish it was not so expensive!

Mary Good to hear that you are still using the gym so well. I missed the entire month of June, but at least walked 5 days a week for 3/4 mile. Probably will be hitting gym as the weather turns hotter.

Floods in West Virginia didn't hit us, but the 5 inches of rain did and drained off, thank Goodness. So many people have lost everything and the elderly have no place to go. The Greenbrier (the fancy 5 star resort area that usually has the PGA tournament this weekend) cancelled the golf, their course was well under water and covered with old cars and even parts of houses. Jim Justice, the owner, opened the Greenbrier to those that had no place to go and is feeding them all. He is earning some real respect from many, many people. He is also running for Governor of West Virginia and his actions will certainly help him there. He has to be a good business man to do all he does.

I spent an hour talking with our oldest daughter as we caught up of family. They got a hot tub and had it full of them, kids, and grandkids last weekend. Kit really enjoys having the grandkids so close, ages 2, 3, and 7 (almost 8) So glad for her!!! She looks the most like me of our 4 kids, but is so doggone smart! Has a really great job and yet no college degree. The other 3 have college degrees but other two daughters struggle even tho they are so good with what they do.

I'm so relieved DH and I are retired. I even decided to take the week off of volunteer work for the first time ever. Have lots to do, but I need the break. Don't even answer the phone unless it is family. I have 4 hours a week to find substitutes for and with most on vacation, I can't even get answers. I simply needed a break and let the phone ring.

Garden is at it's very best right now. Have some friends that want to come see and we're trying to find a time when they can be outside and not "burn up." Today would be perfect but they are all out of town, too. We simply take our coffee or ice water and go out in the shade and enjoy it ourselves.

Bible Class on Wednesdays is realy, really interesting. I love Wisdom Literature and Fr. John knows the Bible so well, and teaches it in a great way. He puts up with 20 or more of us asking questions, or making some remarks that I feel surprised would be asked in such a class. Funny at times, but also interrupt the flow, but he simply takes it in stride. Amazing!!

DH went to the Men's Bible Class this morning and is so enthusiastic about what he is learning from Fr. John, too. They keep their discussions private so the men can talk about things that normally they wouldn't.

I'll try to come here more often. Surprised how long I went without coming here. Enjoy the weekend, Sandy

Can't believe it is the 2nd of July already...the 4th is coming fast, but apparently not fast enough for some fireworks fans. So many fireworks were going off I couldn't get to sleep last night. The night before it was a neighbor's dog barking! I used to think our bedroom was so insulated we rarely heard anything but now recently I sure have. Dh can't hear as much but even he heard the fireworks last night...he woke up and ask me if that was me "banging." :D I felt like saying I might have gas but it's not THAT bad! ;)

Today he will pressure wash the patio and patio furniture in preparation for our Monday family get together. Also our son will go up on the roof to finish spreading the mold killer as it never got finished after the neighbor boy did most of it as dh had to buy more product. I think I will go to the store for the frozen treats and maybe a cake mix. Was thinking a small cake might be good...not large enough to do a lot of diet damage but an extra treat for everyone to get a small pc if they want.

Last night's dinner was crazy...I was making this beef and broccoli stir-fry...sounds simple enough but the recipe called for teriyaki sauce. But for some reason I was thinking worchestershire sauce, although even as I removed it from the fridge, I thought I don't even like worchestershire and thought I'll add a little soy sauce to it. Well I made the sauce and then suddenly realized I'd made a mistake. My son called me and were were talking about that time too...he's been learning about how to prepare for the "big one" we're supposed to get some time, and I was interested, and not paying much attention to my cooking. It was during this time I realized my mistake. After I got off the phone, I drained out the meat and now somewhat overcooked broccoli, sprinkled a little more soy sauce on it all, and heated it again, added water and a little cornstarch. I texted the kids of my mistake and told them they might not want it. Dh said he wasn't hungry and I was disgusted with it all and tired so lay down. About an hour later, the kids got home and they still hadn't eaten and dh then decided he was hungry too so I let them help themselves and they ate it and my son esp liked it! He ate 2 or 3 servings of it! I couldn't eat it so I didn't really have dinner, which made my weight drop down to only 1# now above my sig weight again, however my bs was very high for some reason. I was about to throw away the small amt of the dish that was left and my dil said don't throw it away, that our son might like it for lunch today. Couldn't believe it...all the good food I made that they won't even try and they like this! :D The kids made offers on another two houses...they look very nice so hope they get one of them. It truly is a seller's market here.

Sandy - I'm like you, I love fruit and as a diabetic, I eat too much of it sometimes. Recently it's been cherries and now it's blueberries. So far I've been carefully with my portion of blueberries so hope I continue that. Your pastor sounds like a good teacher...a good leader is able to handle whatever comes up. And how can one learn without asking questions, I always say. I think it's very good for both men and women to have their own classes and probably esp the men as men often don't talk about things, they should perhaps explore. I wish that dh was still in a men's group...he has stopped because he felt he didn't have much in common with the younger men and also because it's at night when he's tired, and I understand but it was so good for him in the past. I also think understanding and wisdom of the elder men can help the young ones too...actually it can flow both ways often.

Well, I need to get busy...you all have a good day. It's to be 75 today here. and so far is sunny.

Mary, I don't like Worcestershire sauce. DH likes it on his steak. Even when it's called for in a recipe I leave it out because then I wouldn't be able to eat it. I like soy sauce but right now don't have any in the house. I don't think I ever tasted teriyaki sauce. I just don't seem to cook recipes like that. That's funny that you're son's family liked the dinner that was a mistake. LOL The only time I ever made something that was a mistake was when I forgot to put meat in the lasagne. No one even noticed it, but I knew.

What type of meat do you use in your beef stir fry? I think I tried making that one time but the meat turned out tough. I don't have a lot of luck cooking beef. I never know what cut to buy.

I'm surprised that we haven't had a lot of fireworks around here this year. I think it's because it's becoming a senior citizen neighborhood. It used to be a lot worse. The one man who used to have a lot might not have any this year because he's daughter passed away recently and they are still in mourning. There was another man up the street who always had a lot but he might have moved away. On the 4th, there will be a big public fireworks display that we can watch from our front porch. We will have a little cook-out just for the two of us, but no big party. My kids go with their drinking friends where it's more exciting. LOL I'm just as happy not to have all the work.

Happy Independence Day, or the 4th of July!! :D It is cloudy and isn't supposed to get too warm...I think 71 and even that pretty late. Dh pressured washed the patio and furniture but it's possible we will end up eating inside. I just got up, weekly cleaned the small bathroom and made our bed, got trash/garbage ready for dh to take out and had my breakfast. Heating oven to bake a cake now.

My son showed me how to upload my recumbent bike workouts to MFP, but I need a new flash drive to do it.

Other than the cake I'm ready for the dinner...just need to remember now to set all the stuff out. ;) I'm known for forgetting things.

Carol - I usually mix worchestershire with soy sauce to make it more palatable for me, but some of my fam actually like it alone on steak. The meat I use for stir-frying is the most tender steak meat I can find. Sirloin steak is not bad, esp if sliced thinly. I buy my meat from an organic store and it is usually very tender although a couple times I've bought tough sirloin. It was sirloin I used the other night for beef and broccoli. I don't often use teriyaki sauce as I don't like it either but dh and the boys do. The first time I used that particular recipe I used a premade teriyaki sauce from a frozen teriyaki chicken entree and dh really liked it. This time I didn't have that so meant to just follow the recipe but you know how that turned out. ;)

We had even more fireworks last night....poor Halo is so scared, she's been sleeping right outside our bedroom door with her bottom up against the door!
I'm always afraid someone will get up and stumble over her in the night.

We live in a cul-de-sac and the neighbors set off their fireworks in the street so we can watch their display too. Our son said he bought fewer but bigger ones this year. We missed last year ...we went to Alaska then..so can't compare though. I'm not big on the noisy kind.

Well, my gd keeps talking to me and showing me her toys so I can't concentrate. Better get that cake baked anyway.

Good evening GG's,

Happy Fourth of July everyone.

It has been a quiet day here today. I've been working on some little sewing projects and some other little puttery things. I enjoy getting stuff done.

Sara didn't have to work today, so Maddie is with her. Don't know what they are doing on this holiday day. Jason is working.

I record and watch the PBS 4th of July program. I started doing that when I was working, because it seemed that I always ended up working and missed out on fireworks and all. It's not quite the same, but I enjoy the music. When the holidays aren't like they used to be, you have to come up with some other way to enjoy it.

Scale was up this morning ~ it goes up and down, but has been kind of creeping up with every up. So, what did I do? When I made a Walmart run this morning, I had snacks that I didn't need. That makes me feel kind of bummed. But, what's done is done. Tomorrow is another day ~ plan to get back on track. And need to try harder to be more consistent with exercising.

Got to talk with Mom today. She has been sounding so good the last few times we've talked. I am so thankful that she is feeling better/doing better.

Mary ~ enjoy your family gathering.

Carol Sue ~ while I miss getting together with family, like you, I don't miss the work that goes into it.

Sandy ~ that was really nice of the man who owns the Greenbrier to let people who had nowhere to go after the flooding come there.

Hope you all have had a nice weekend.

Today I want to call my Insurance and ask about what all is covered for my CPAP. The doctor's office sent me a form to sign saying that I will pay all deductibles and copays plus anything not covered by insurance. I don't want them to do anything that isn't covered by insurance. I can't imagine what that would be, anyway. I really don't want to do another sleep study, but I might have to for him to give me a prescription. I have to have this CPAP. I know a lot of people who need them don't use them, but after having it all this time I can't sleep without it. They have sleep studies you can do at home, but that's something that might not be covered by insurance. It seems that they want you do do all these things for your health, but then they make it so difficult.

I guess I spoke too soon about the locals setting off fireworks. They really let loose yesterday, more than last year. We really don't mind it, and Rusty doesn't either. He isn't as adventurous, but he doesn't shake like our other dogs used to. He stuck pretty close to me, which I liked. Then we had the bigger neighborhood display after dark. It was about a half our long. People from all over town come to see them. I think ours is the only fireworks display in town. Each year they threaten to discontinue them due to lack of funds, but they always seem to come up with the money from somewhere. I would be OK if they didn't have them, but DH really likes them, and was actually taking videos of them.

I did well with my food, too. I ate a couple bites of potato salad and didn't like it, although DH said it was good. I think my tastes are just changing. I had my meat without any buns. And we had no dessert. I don't like sweets so I don't think to make dessert. It usually ends up being thrown out because DH is the only one eating it. I want to do something to use up some apples I have. I might slice them and toss them with flour and sugar like you do for pie, and just put them in a pan with a top crust. I won't eat it, but if DH doesn't eat it all I won't care because I won't have a lot of money invested. Even making a cake doesn't work because half of it always goes down the garbage disposal.

Mary, do you make your cakes from scratch or use a mix? My mother-in-law would never use a mix, but they are so easy and I think they are good, so does DH, so why make more work for myself? There are so many recipes out there where you add things to the mix, but DH doesn't usually like them. He just likes a plain cake with icing.

It's not as hot here lately, but the humidity is bad so we have been keeping the air conditioning on. Too muggy for sleeping.

Gayle, I'm glad to hear that your mother has been sounding good lately. I'm sure it warms you heart. I know you miss family, but it was nice that you got a break from Maddie and got to do some things you wanted to do.

Yesterday was a lot of fun! There were 12 of us but you'd think it was even more with all the excitement. We didn't have dinner until almost 4 pm. The kids were really hungry by then so we quickly filled their plates as soon as part of the meat was ready. Turned out my dil did not make ribs but we had plenty meat...the old staples for BBQ...hamburgers and hot dogs. I don't like the way my son makes hamburgers...he makes them thick and they were still red inside. Too bad (to me) because they do have a good flavor...he made three different seasoning types. I chose the hot black pepper and it was very tasty but because of the redness I couldn't really enjoy it...just ate around the edges. We ate inside as it was slightly too cool to eat on the patio comfortably. My son's gf had to work and didn't get here til around 6, so he brought the baby and her two other children and we enjoyed them esp that baby! She is 6 months old now, can almost sit up by herself...gets a bit wobbly at times..and is trying to crawl. She rarely cries and is very alert to everything and reaching for things. Her mama pumps milk for her but she drank very little....I'm sure she's like one of my sons and just prefers to wait for mama if she can. She did eat a little rice cereal. My son takes such good care of her. He brought a foldable bed and she took almost an hour nap. The dinner went well...even after his gf came we left the more snacky types foods out and by the end of the evening (11 pm), most of it was gone. We nibbled on 3 kinds of fruit, chips, cake and popsicles/fudgesicles all evening. The kids didn't realize I also had popsicles and fudgesicles (esp) and they were so happy to find them! The neighbors started their fireworks display as soon as it was dusk and they must have bought out the stands because they had LOTS. We put out chairs and watched them, then when it got dark, we started ours. There were some really good big ones...esp the neighbors but some ours too. I suspect many of the neighbors were not legal, you can buy them on the Indian reservations where they are legal, but they are not really legal outside the reservation is my understanding. We enjoyed them though. The display from our neighbors plus some we could see from other neighbors further away was the same as what we'd have seen had we gone to the community display and we were much more comfortable. There are a lot of very large evergreen trees in our area though and I was kinda concerned about a fire, but as far as I know there was none. I did two dishwasher loads and at bedtime I just piled the rest of the dishes in the sink to do this morning. Our little gd actually ASKED to go to bed when it was over! That's very unusual!:)

Poor Halo! She was so scared last night! We didn't take her outside, as we knew the sounds and lights would be too much for her, so she huddled under the table. I gave her what I call her doggie "chill" pill, but she still didn't go to sleep. Then someone told me she had peed in the bathroom....sure enough...she did a good size puddle but smaller than I've heard she can do on the throw rug. We wiped up what we could and put the rug in the garage for washing. She only pees inside when she is upset and she always does it on a throw rug...twice it's been the bathrooms and the only other time she did it on a rug near the back door and that was when her master was leaving for the last time and I think she realized it. This time it was the fireworks.
I stayed with her a while, patting and reassuring her and gave her another pill after asking son (too much for her size, so wanted his approval since she's really his dog). She still couldn't sleep but was pretty quiet the rest of the evening, and I peeked in on her now and then. And again she slept with her backside backed up against our bedroom door all night. She is a very emotional dog! I'm just thankful she didn't throw up!

I slept in very late...11 am...but it took me a long time to get to sleep and also was up about three times going to bathroom, taking care of Halo (twice).
When I finally got up the kids were gone so it's quiet here now. All I've done is daily clean our bath and make the bed and get garbage/trash/recycling ready to go out. Next I will weekly clean the main bath, have to mop that floor good and maybe the hall, and take care of the dishes. I find time I'll maybe get a haircut.

You all have a good day...

Mary, your party sounds really nice and I understand why you enjoyed it so much! I don't mind my meat being red when it's steak or prime rib, but I don't like red ground meat. Anyway, I heard it's not safe unless well cooked. When we make burgers, we make them on the George Foreman grill because it cooks them all the way through, sometimes even too well done for me. We made them on the gas grill on the 4th and DH put his in the microwave afterwards because it was still a little too pink. Mine was fine.

We are really having a heat wave here. Our thermometer says 85, but it's so humid it feels much hotter. DH just finished cutting the grass and he had to come in for a while halfway through to get cooled off.

I think all fireworks are illegal in our area unless set off by professionals but the law is never enforced. The smaller ones are still sold in the stores. I think our neighbors get the bigger ones in Ohio and WVa, since we are so close to the border.

Got home a short time ago from the gym and a couple quick stops for groceries. With the kids here we run out of milk frequently...and we sorta take turns buying it since dh uses the same milk. I got home feeling very tired and couldn't get to my computer because I had to change sheets on the trundle bed before putting it back in so I can get to my computer. Had to have dh help me...small bed but little space and it is hard for both of us. Then did the top bed but that's easy.

I noticed some cracks in the shelves of my new fridge, we bought the maintenance plan but not sure whether that is covered but plan to call and find out.

Still need to shop for our gd's birthday. Doubt that happens today...maybe tomorrow. Also still need a haircut.

Other than that I plan to weekly clean the office and hall. Haven't even done daily stuff yet though.

The humana person called today to ask me about my dieting. LOL I forget she's going to call and I was still in bed (but awake) and almost hung up on her as when I saw FL I thought it was a sales call. I really should tell her to give up on me..but I guess I hate to say it. Sad to say, but I will not change my ways because of her calling me..I was happy to tell her I'd lost 2 or 3# but also told her that I keep going up and down which she said is normal, which of course I know...the trick is to get the bottom of your range a little lower all the time at least...but my weight is staying more consistently now 2# above my sig weight.:( I think I'm eating more having the kids here.

Well not much news...and much to do...since I can't get on my computer often, I have trouble keeping up with my finances and other things I usually do online each day. They just left for McDonalds so I have a little time right now.

Mary I well remember the trundle beds. We had them for our two younger daughters, and trying to walk into the room wasn't easy. It was nice when all was put together. Our daughter bought a Bunk with queen lower and twin upper so DH and I could visit yet she could still have the 3 grandkids over.

I'm like you, I try to get on line when my daughter is painting, or out of the house. For some reason, probably the numerous storms we've been having, I have not been on line for a while.

Carol Sue First, I agree I love my steak with some red showing when I cut it, but too often it is "over done". I remember a family member wanting beef almost burnt because he was so afraid of "underdone". Most of us are like you are.

Your breathing helps, how very, very hard it must be to have so many hoops to jump thu to get what you need so badly. Hope the insurance will help you out.

Gayle Bet you enjoyed the time to "CHOOSE" what to do rather than taking care of Maddie, even as much as you love her. Sometimes it feels good to get time to do as we please.

Today was Bible Study and we had such interesting discussions about the ways Jewish thought approached some issues. For example, so many of USA people refuse to follow ANY laws that they can avoid. The Ten Commandments are treated like the ten suggestions. Also, fear of the Lord was discussed as some told they use other words when reading Old Testament words such as these. Fr. John mentioned that the Wisdom literature we were studying was written before Jesus Christ was here and helped us understand our Heavenly Father better.

This evening I got to visit with a special woman that works with me on phone calls from the Church. We hadn't talked in ages, and I loved the chance to spend time with her.

We had almost 3 inches rain earlier one day this week so our pots do NOT need watering yet.

Hope all is OK with each of you, Sandy