Okay...Cajun I am glad you tried. Being out in all that fresh air has always been a danger to me. It just makes not only food taste so good but you get too sleepy to care. I have lots of memories of sitting in my tree stand with a good book and deer playing below me. I bow hunted for deer, elk and bear. Until I was so entranced by a bull elk popping over a blow down and I had a nocked arrow in hand, but watched in awe. Put down my bow and picked up a camera. Now days if I could get in a stand they'd have call the fire company to get me down.

Bobbi...I posted the one bowl apple cake in Nov. I redid it a bit using sf apple sauce(for oil), egg beaters and splenda brown. Fitday says it was 1200 cal for 9x13 cake. It was so funny. (DH would eat dog poop if it was wrapped in apple.) The cake was on the counter covered in foil and every time I went into the kitchen there was a chunk missing. He loved sneaking spoonfulls. Amazing part was after all that snacking his am BS was only 126!

Rosey...How did Steve make out? And how did your me time work out? OMG I would give an arm for me time.

I have a beautiful woven wreath with dried cranberries tied to it. I didn't want to hang it on our new metal door and scratch it. Used one of those temp hooks on the brick next to the door. Looks fabulous except a wren is trying to build a nest. The indigo painted bunting is back. Wonder where he summers?

Karen...did you get to the light show?

Lynn...when do you come down here? Weather is gorgeous. Supposed to be 80 today and 60's tonight.

We decided to take a quick trip to NC to see DD before Christmas. 10-11 hrs trip. If we take my car Dash sleeps the whole trip, but if we take the jeep he stands the whole trip. Told you he's a weird insane dog.

Need to get a few cards. Happy day everyone.....k3

ps Gayle...thanks now I have another cake/pie to try

Hi all-

I posted a lengthy note in November. It was an update of our wonderful trip teaching English poor children in Cambodia. One of the best things DH and I have ever done.

It also updated on DM. Not a happy story.
I took it down after about 12 - 14 hours. I was embarrassed - decided it was TMI.

Other than that, things are good except I fell off the diet wagon in a big weigh - pun intended - so I will be spending most of time at the Ideal Protein thread trying to get back on the wagon. I just wanted to say hi to the ladies that thought of me in the last couple of months - Gayle, Mary. And Deelou, I would love to hear about your brother's work.

Hugs to all...

K3 ~ I wasn't sure when you said ~ thanks now I have another recipe to try ~ if you really wanted to try it, or if you were ready to hit me with the rolling pin for my food porn. Anyway ~ if you really did want to try it ~ I posted the recipe up in the recipe section.

Cajun ~ sorry that you are still struggling with the adjustment to your sons not living in your home anymore. Maybe it would help to think of it this way ~ be thankful that they live fairly nearby (doesn't one live sort of right out back of you?) ~ and that even though they are not right in your house, you still get to see them fairly often. There are people whose kids live far away, and maybe they only get to see them once a year of less. Like Bobbi said ~ put on some Christmas music and think of how to fill those stockings. And every chance you get ~ hug on them and be thankful for how often you can get to do that. Hope you are not mad at me for saying that ~ just want you to feel better.

Deelee ~ glad you popped in. Don't feel bad about your other post. You are going through a lot, and sometimes it helps to write about it. Hope things ease up for you.

Continuing to drop my weight back down. Last night I was tempted to eat more but realized I'd only be putting off my getting back down to 160 so I stopped. Praise God! This morning I was down a little more than a pound, so I'm really glad I didn't eat more. I did go over on my carbs so my bs was pretty high. Funny, I didn't even think about my carbs until it was too late. Shows I still need to work on that. Also yesterday I started coughing and by bedtime I knew I'd caught my gd's cold. Dh went out about 8:30 pm for cough drops and Nyquil for me. I have such a sweet dh...he hates the cold yet he did it for me, that is sacrificial love.

Sitting here listening to the preview of our Sunday message ...it's going to be so good! Can hard wait! We missed last Sunday due to the kids run.

We didn't get the tree completely set up yesterday but today we will I think.
We don't hang stockings anymore unless the gc are here. Just do the tree and a few other decorations. I have an old nativity set I always set out...we always allowed the children (ours and some of the gc who visited) to play with it so some of the pieces are chipped. I keep thinking I'll buy another unbreakable one but never have. Guess I like the nostalgia value of this old one.

Well better get to work...

Good afternoon Goldens! It hs been a busy morning in fact I'm just getting to my computer! We haven't got any snow YET! in fact it is about 60 degrees here right now and just beautiful. But tomorrow the high is only about 40 and then freezing rain to start and then snow Thursday and Friday, with highs only in the 20's!!

We had great time with my son, his gf and her two boys for Thanksgiving. They got here on Thursday afternoon and left Sunday after church. It was a nice time and she seems very nice. The kids, two boys, 6 & 4 had a great time decorating the tree and it looks fantastic!!

Now I need to get out and find a birthday gift for hubby (11th) a wedding gift for my niece (14th) ALL the Christmas shopping (haven't started) and a birthday gift for our grandson(30th) then our anniversary the 31st!! Don't have much to do at all!!! HA!!

Hope everyone has a great Day!!

Cute Christmas card Karen31

Bobbi yesterday when I was decorating my tree I saw the boys 2 camo stockings. I'd decided I wasn't going to stuff them this year. But I did leave them out. This morning I was thinking of them digging in those stockings and seeing the joy on their faces just like little kids. I decided I was going to stuff them and this afternoon I ordered 2 pink camo stockings for their girlfriends and I'm going to stuff those too. Thanks. Your right Xmas music always gets me in the spirit.

Karenfl I didn't mess up extremely bad but enough to mess up weight loss. I love being on a stand in the woods listening and watching the deer. I love when the owls start whooting. Sp. I still climb in a stand straight up about 15 feet.

Gayle I was reading your post and I thought that's exactly what I have been doing. Thanksgiving day several times when passing I grabbed my boys and hugged tight. Sitting at the table eating my oldest was sitting next to me looking all handsome with his cowboy hat on and I looked at him and said " you sure look handsome today" he laughed and said uh oh she's lonesome. He look at me and said your lonesome mom? I said yea. He said I can tell. I would never be mad at you for pointing out that they are nearby and you are so right. My pity party is over thanks to some wonderful golden friends. I will hug them more often and every hug I give I will dedicate that hug to a mom that can't hug her child right now. Now I have tears in my eyes.

Karen 31. I like your card too. Lovely family!!!

Silly me...I kept looking at the Nov thread thinking buy everyone is quiet! Duh! We had Thanksgiving at my daughter who lives at the beach, her hubby's family and the three of us...17in all, I did fine but have stopped and then trying to start lower carb again...gained....anytime I eat over 1000 cals a day....I know I am fighting some depression with this thyroid as well and tried St. John's wort but though it helped it gave me headaches...so back to prayer and trying to figure out what best to eat....I just do not like veggies and fruit much so have to force myself, and low carb means a lot of protein which not sure is best...trying to balance it. I have my endocrinologist appointment Dec 17..all famil except our daughter at home still will be elsewhere for Christmas....

Cajun...I have a Christmas CD we play every year that you'd enjoy. It's Christmas songs played with wildlife and critter sounds, no human voices. It's so peaceful. Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder where it is? We stuffed things here and there when we moved, no telling where it is.

Karen...love the Christmas card. I make ours too, usually with Charlie on the picture. Ginger looks like she enjoys having her pic taken, sissy not so much.

Rosey...how's Steve?

K3...we have so many apples, would you print out your recipe?

Hi Dee and Donna

Glynne...do you get to stay home? (I hope so) You can help out a lot at home just by putting yourself on a budget, start cooking everything from scratch (processed and box mixes are expensive, plus you eat lots of chemicals) . Stop using the dryer, hang wet laundry out on the clothes lines. Shut off lights you don't use, lots of sites on the internet about being frugal. I quit work about 15 years ago and never missed the money until Bruce retired. He forgets he's living on social security, sometimes I have to yell at him. Like when he purchased another Harley Davidson. I'm still mad about that.

We're off to the YMCA, I can't wait. NOT

Maryea - I am so glad to hear that your colon pain is gone. I'm sure it's a relief to you.

We have a very old nativity set that my husband had all of his adult life. The stable was just cardboard and it fell apart, but we bought a stable that a man was selling that he made by hand. It's lovely, and made to look old. Believe it or not, I had a dog who loved to bat the pieces around with his paw. Last year, I got a white Christmas tree and at a flea market, I bought a white porcelain nativity set to use with it, but this year I'm back to the green tree and the old nativity set. It's nice to buy new things, but there's something to be said about using the old traditional decorations.

Hi Everyone,

Still in PA. Maybe we will leave for FL tomorrow. My SIL's brother-in-law is having open-heart surgery today. He wants to wait until his BIL is out of danger.

My computer has been fighting with me & winning. I tried to download a free program & something called Artemis Portal invaded my internet browsers. I will wait till I get to FL to find someone to fix. Staples said it would take them 3-4 days.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.

Lynn

Bobbi I would love thst cd. Can you please give me the name of it.
Hugs.
Cajun

Help Please....how do you get crazy glue off the tops of your fingers. I got it peeled off my finger tips but there is a coating on the back of my hands. Long stupid story and won't admit I am the stupid one....tried mineral spirits, nail polish remover, laundry soap and nail file....???????

My hubby says acetone...maybe your nail polish remover was the non acetone kind....