YES, RONNI ~ can't tell you how often that has happened to me and others as well. The thing is that we have to listen to that "still small voice" and those odd feelings that come up ... and then just pray!!! So happy to hear about your DS3 and teaching himself guitar & drums; that is a secret dream of mine to get some drums -- working on that too. My BIL (my sister's DH) is in a worship band and plays the piano/organ, and he is self-taught too!


BARGOO ~ I agree with your advice for NELLY. I was going to say the same thing, but the issue with my sister & BIL & Dad was on my mind. I took all our favorite dishes and made them healthy as can be: cutting down/out the fat, adding fiber by using whole grain everything & adding lots and lots of veggies. Adding veggies to casseroles & stews really makes them stretch.

I have salad often too; almost every day (but DH doesn't like salad so I make enuff for myself only for a few days). There is the odd time I may make DH a pork chop & myself steak but still cook them in the same pan, etc. All very minor modifications really; the rest of the time we eat the same thing.

I just measure my portions carefully. Like tonight, is Pasta night here; so we had whole grain spagetti with chunky veggie-tomato & meat sauce (it had tomatoes, carrots, zuccchini, onions, mushrooms & sweet peppers in the tomato sauce). I measure 1 cup pasta for me and 1.5 cups for DH -- and it's just habit now. With the chunky sauce, it is so filling but still within my plan.

The temps have been milder here this week once again, plus we have had a very light sprinkle of ***** and some :sunny: on and off all day today.

Have a great day tomorrow ... :val3:

:wave: Had a good day today, and the weather was divine for February -- with :sunny: and the odd light sprinkle of ***** in the AM. It was lovely.

We did sweeping (with my whizzer) and vacuuming this AM; did the whole place. That left the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted. I have been doing some mending in between this week as well; I find it very relaxing.

DH and I were talking today about how we prayed Angels around my sister & her hubby early last Sunday morning. I asked GOD to send her a legion of Angels, if necessary, to help & protect them; then I remembered that just one big Angel could wrap himself around them (I read that in the bible somewhere). Oh my, I think that might have been the 3 brothers thrown into the fire (in Daniel?). Becuz I didn't know exactly what was wrong -- that is what I prayed. We do that often.

When you look back, you really see how awesome that was. Well, our GOD is faithful, is He not? YES, he is. When they saw the bedroom area, they realized how blessed she was -- and her daughter burst into tears. It is indeed a miracle she's alive! THANK YOU GOD!!! We didn't want to lose our kind-hearted girl ... :)

The insurance company has already found a house for them to stay in while theirs is restored & rebuilt. They have been very helpful to them; we are praying all the formalities will go quickly and well for them.

I made some Chicken Stew for dinner tonight from some chicken breasts I roasted on Tuesday; it was yum and just the thing for this time of year. Hope all our friends here have a fabulous Friday tomorrow ... :val3:

I've been doing well with both my eating and exercising. Hopefully it will show up on the scale soon. For now I am enjoying feeling better about myself and I do have more energy than before. I still struggle a bit with evening eating. With a new quilt to work on soon I won't be in the food quite as much-don't want to get that quilt dirty!

Rosebud: What an amazing miracle for your sister! It's so good you responded to the nudge from God also. Praise Him!

Nelly: I know what it's like to try to lose weight especially when you get older. I'm in that lovely menopausal stage and i really notice the difference. It's especially hard for you since your body has gone through changes with each pregnancy. Keep trying to eat healthy and exercise and the pounds will come off. Maybe not as fast as you would like but it will come off. A few years ago I changed my eating to lower fat and I started walking every day. I lost 25 lbs and that has never returned. I still struggle with the remainder of the weight I have to lose though but am glad I haven't gone back to my original weight.

Garry: I also get to enjoy my little one. The kids bring him over pretty much once a week so I get to see the changes he goes through. He's so much fun and is such a happy little guy. It'll be harder when #2 comes along in a month but our flights are already booked. You won't be able to keep this gramma away! I plan on doing some cleaning and cooking when I go there but hopefully I'll get a lot of cuddling in too!

Ronni: It's so neat to see your kids develop their faith and to know its theirs and not what you've taught them.

Bargoo: Great ideas on how to stretch the food dollar. When we were struggling a few years ago I found that making hearty soups also helped. I also did a lot of my own yeast baking which helped too. I also had my own garden which would keep us in veggies for the winter too.

Gotta go and get something done around here. Have a great weekend!

:wave: HI WILMA ~ glad things are going well for you. We've all used similar strategies to make our dollars go further.

GARY ~ hope all is well down there with you and yours; haven't seen you around the forums the last few days. Sending prayers up for you, and the tuff decisions you have to make at work. That baby should be here any day now, huh? :D

Eating is going well; workin' hard to stay on plan and still tweakin' my plan to make it better (to encourage some WL). We've had lovely :sunny: this weekend, but the temps have dropped a bit.

Hope you all have a blessed Sunday tomorrow ... :val3:

HI GALS :)

Taking time to catch up a little. Home from church and watching the :rain: rain at Daytona :( I hope they get the race in today.

Angie and my step-daughter were awesome today, along with their bell choir buddies, at church. They played How Great Thou Art :angel: We had our future son in law video it from the choir loft so I will post it up if it turns out decent.

My daughter and the kidnapper are coming over tonight to make me dinner. Kidnapper is making me his awesome lasagna :hungry: Not sure of his motive....maybe because I will be a little older on Monday ;) My son, daughter in law, GRANDdaughter nephew and one of my nieces will be joining us.

Work is slowing down a bit for a while. I still have enough for a few guys but did lay-off 2 of them on Friday. I have been getting many calls lately from guys out of work that work from me from time to time. Doesn't seem to be getting much better here. We have work coming up, as long as the projects we have continue to go forward. I still have not totally resolved the issue with the guys that stole stuff but I have not used them either. They keep calling but I just tell them I don't have anything for them and don't know for sure when I will...all of that true. We have also told another employee, not under my supervision, that if anything else ends up missing he and all of his laborers will be gone! The problem we have going on is from a group of guys. Some people just feel like they are "owed" because someone else has more than them. It blows me away that guys will risk their jobs, earning more that $1,000.00 a week by stealing a $200 saw! Stupid-stupid-stupid!!

My second GRANDchild is due in 2 weeks :carrot: I am so excited!

We did not have date night with my granddaughter this week but we did go by and see her for an hour. My son is coaching track at the moment so he isn't home during the week much/if at all, before she goes to bed. Friday was a short practice for his team so he didn't want to give her up to Grandpa and Nonni...:(...;)

We always walk in without knocking, if we are expected, to surprise her. When we came through the door she saw us and crawled right to me with the biggest smile :), stopped at my feet and put her hands up for me to hold her. I just melt :)

We are having more issues with our Reba. She may have a bad/hurt hip after a walk a little over a week ago. The vet has her on pain meds and real short walks. She is improving but I am pretty sure there is some real damage somewhere. We will keep an eye on it and if not completely healed very soon they will x-ray :( The good thing is that it is not one of her knees, the good one or the $3,000.00 one!

Well I guess I better find something busy to do so Angie, who is off at yoga class, will not think I wasted my time on Facebook and 3FC :D Actually, she doesn't mind :) But I could get the leaf for the table out and get some stuff off the counter into the recycle bin.

Sure is great to see RONNI, WILMA, BOOTSIE around again! I really think of ALL of you often and I know that BARGOO, ROSEBUD and KAREN do too. Also good to see AUNTNELLY posting more than once or twice! We get so many that, for some reason, just seem to not be able to find us after they visit...

are we that :yawn: :yawn: boring :yawn: :yawn:?

:nono: Don't answer that! :lol3: ;)

Here is the link to Angie's beel choir groups How Great Thou Art today at church. It is 5 minutes long. Angie is in the middle of the group, blue shirt, in front of our music director and my step-daughter is the tall blonde on the left at the end of the front row....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ABS...&feature=share

We had a handbell choir this morning they played "What Wondrous Love Is This?" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

WOW, GARY ~ thanks for posting that link to the bells -- I love hearing them ... we don't have anything like that in our churches here. Oh, we do have singing and bands; just no bells and I think they are so peaceful and heavenly ... :D

I agree with what you say about the workers stealing: it doesn't make sense to risk a good-paying job for a tool that they could afford to buy anyways. So foolish and unwise ... Your "NO WORK FOR YOU" strategy is a good one and a little peer pressure may help too.

^Prayers^ that REBA's hip heals up quickly for her ... poor baby! :hug:

Hope you have a :woo: HAPPY BIRTHDAY :woo: -- I'm sure that is why they all wanted to make you that special lasagna dinner you like.

We had a good weekend; lots of :sunny: but colder temps (not too bad though). Today, we have some nice, pretty, fluffy ***** falling right this minute. DH used his snowblower for the first time today, but just for a little while.

We had roast Chicken with veggies yesterday; and tonight we are having seasoned pork chops with rice and veggies. Eating went really well for the month of February; am pleased about that. Time for a tea break; take good care, everyone ... :val3:

Gary-:celebrate::bday2you::hb::bday2you::celebrate: Hope you've had a wonderful birthday!

Thank you all so much :hug:

I had a great 58th birthday. My son in law made me his famous lasagna...so amazingly good! And I am one who makes a few pretty darn good lasagnas myself...plus I never give him credit for anything!...

dang kidnapper.....

My son and favorite daughter in law came for dinner along with my GRANDdaughter, my daughter had to bring my sil since he was making dinner...my step-d and future sil...aka....kidnapper2 and my nephew....

my GRANDdaughter helped me open my gifts...

what a perfect day! And that wasn't even my birthday, that was Sunday.

Angie and I were going to go to our favorite Mexican joint for my birthday but I got home from work a little early and she ended up subbing for the district yoga class for teachers since the main guy had to have a gallbladder surgery and she is the only sub he trusts.

So, I made cheese enchiladas, rice and beans for us instead so she could rest when she got home before she went to a class at church with my ex-wife....

However, I also bought her a 6-pack of Blue Moon which will last her 2 months...she had one with dinner and said..."Babe, I think I will skip class and watch the race with you...I feel so tired and lazy"...

A great way to start a new birthday year....:carrot:

58...man oh man, where did the time go?

Just think...10 years ago yesterday I joined 3FC :)

Sounds like you had a great birthday., Gary.

Thank you Bargoo....it was a great birthday.

GARY ~ ahhh, that's cute and more cute ... ;) Glad you had a nice Sunday with your family; and whatta guy you are -- to make dinner for your wife on your birthday!!! Wow, you joined 3FC's on your BD, 10 years ago; I guess that's why you know the exact day. I know the year but not the day.

Well, I just realized that it isn't February anymore; it's March 1st, so I'll go and start a new thread. Please join us over there, OK ... :D