Good morning, ladies! 39 degrees but maybe 52 for a high today. At least the sun is shining.

The new WW SmartPoints program starts Sunday so next week will be so busy! We are having a meeting Saturday afternoon to restock the shelves and get ready for the big day. Finally the emphasis is going to be on healthier eating with saturated fats and sugars being taken into points calculation. All the junk food is going to be expensive point wise.

Yesterday I had my knitting group and the First Thursday Bee potluck dinner. A good time at both!

I went to the surgeon on Wednesday and he dismissed me from his care so that is good. My PC doc said I can't do water aerobics, water Zumba or yoga for another month but it would be okay to walk for exercise. Bummer.

Faye, I'm glad you are back but so sorry you were hurting the whole cruise. I hope you get your surgery date so you can finally see an end in site.

Jean, I think I would freeze if it got to be 9 degrees here! I hope you have fun this weekend.

Maggie, is Will still in the research trial? I hope the new medicine works for him.

Have a wonderful day.

Good Afternoon from Minneapolis! There is no snow and it's a nice 48 degrees here. We are waiting for Jason and family to arrive. I can't believe how much the city has grown as well as the amount of traffic. Talk about living in rural Iowa!

Maggie, hope your doctor gave you a surgery date. It's too bad you didn't feel well while you were gone. There is no snow here right here, but there is quite a bit closer to the Iowa border.

Susan, glad you enjoyed your activities yesterday. I was surprised your doctor doesn't want you to do the water aerobics or yoga yet. I know you enjoy them. I'm sure he has his reason.

I need to change clothes and be ready to roll when Jason calls. ​Have a nice rest of the day and enjoy!

:JEAN: What surgery do you want me to have ~ a frontal labotamy?

Good Evening! It's been a cloudy cool day in MN but no snow. Ian's team lost, 28-0. They played Kansas City, MO, and that team had some huge kids on it. They also cheated and took some cheap shots when the refs weren't looking. I'm just repeating the comments being made around me because I wouldn't know a either move if I saw one. One kid on our team got the wind knocked out of him but was ok. Tomorrow's game is at 9:45, leaving the hotel at 8. We sat in lawn chairs, or stood, because there are no bleachers. We were inside so that was good.

Maggie, Guess I was thinking about Donna having surgery and typed Maggie for some unknown reason.

"Gma," I'm glad you have a surgery date! Obviously the man on the elevator hasn't been to Storm Lake in a long time. A lot of the ritzy people have left town, and we are losing retired couples every day. It is a pretty town around the lake and parks, but when you get into the "diverse" areas you would think you were south of the border. We have as many Mexican stores downtown as we do white stores. At least they are earning a living and hopefully paying taxes. No fishing on this MN trip, the lakes around here aren't frozen but it is a football weekend.

We went over to Amanda's brother's house for pizza and to watch the start of the Iowa game. Hopefully, they will hang on to their winning record. Iowa is ahead 6-3. Enjoy the evening!

Home again, home again jiggety jig! I am so very thankful we don't live in a big city! I can't imagine going to school at the U of MN and trying to find my way around the campus let alone housing. It is huge! Ian's team won their game today, 8-0. The kids were well matched in size and both teams played well; we were just a little better or maybe luckier. The 8th grade team was to play after us but the team they were to play had four players in the ER after their game yesterday. Rumor had it that three suffered concussions and didn't know it right away. The fourth kid broke his leg. They forfeited today and went home. The 6th graders won both their games so will head to Dallas next weekend. We drove home in and out of weird fog. Tomorrow is a busy day with money counting, a Christmas luncheon and meeting in the afternoon, and Kolby's concert at 6. I am ready for bed and heading that direction shortly.

Good morning, ladies! 56 degrees and overcast today.

I'm not doing much until this afternoon. I know we'll be swamped at WW. I think this is the best change yet. The emphasis is on nutritional food and if an item has sugar or saturated fat, the points are going up - in some cases a lot. Points for things like chicken breast have gone down. Calories are being taken into consideration and a 100-calorie portion can be anywhere from 1 point to 10 so there will be no easy guessing. I'm so glad they are giving the nudge to fruits, vegetables, protein, and fat and steering people away from processed foods with no real nutrition.

Faye, this new plan is much better for diabetics. The old plans were written for the time they were released and much has been learned about nutrition since then. I hope your mammogram isn't too stressful. Ouch on the underarm waxing.

Jean, you are always busy! I'm glad Ian's team won one game. They need more eyes on the field to watch for the bullies on the field. The incision on my stomach is 9 inches long and that's why no exercising now. He wants to be sure it is fully healed so I don't get a hernia.

Maggie, you'll love the new program. You will need a new calculator ($9.95).

Have a wonderful day!

Another busy day today. When I got to church this morning I found out the just hired secretary had quit. I assume over the weekend since she still had post-it notes all around her work area. I had some concerns about her but thought she would hang in there. The children's program was yesterday so had the regular first of the month givers plus all the extras who came to the program. I didn't finish until 11:15, passed up the gift shop money on my way home, changed clothes and headed to the P.E.O. luncheon/meeting. Got home from that in time to catch my breath and head to Sioux City for Kolby's program. I am one tired grandma tonight! I'm home all day tomorrow but need to go to the grocery store. Might even get the tree decorations out. Every year I say I am going to be more organized and it's not happening.

Maggie, the kids played inside where the university team and the Vikings practice. That's why there are no bleachers and very little room along the sidelines. This is the first year to be inside for which I was thankful. I can't imagine sitting outside in "normal" MN weather. Good luck with the new WW program. You go girl!

"Gma," I hope the mammogram goes smoothly and turns out ok. How often do you have to do that? Let us know how the waxing goes. We leave for Maui on January 27th-February 6th. I have a lot I want to get done before we leave. We lived in Minneapolis for a year, then Cleveland for four, but lived in areas where we didn't have the traffic and congestion. Where we lived in Minneapolis has gone from four lanes to six, the mall where we shopped is now completely gone with a WM in its place. Sioux City or Sioux Falls is as big as I would want to live in now. Storm Lake is around 9500 considering the illegals who aren't in the count.

Susan, Wow! I didn't realize you had such a long incision! Ouch! Has the price gone up for WW meetings?

It was nice to see so many posts today. I am heading for bed!

Good Afternoon! The sun is trying to peek through the clouds and the weatherman is predicting rain showers. It's a "warm" 49 degrees -- nice for December! I picked up the gift shop money this morning, wrote a $5000 check for the Auxiliary donation, made a trip to the bank, then back to the hospital with the check. Bob came home for lunch; now he and Sonny are taking a nap together. I have laundry going and should vacuum.

"Gma," it makes one wonder just how much training the new postal employees receive when they start. I stopped by the po last week to buy stamps and my favorite gal was training another gal. The new gal had a very southern accent and when I asked said she was from Arkansas. She was nervous and apologized for being slow. I told her I was in no hurry and to have a good day. I could tell she was relieved. Bob did find out our regular carrier will be back after Christmas. I wish there was a way to stop all the political mail plus the junk mail. I am on so many junk lists it makes me nuts. We are treating the kids and grandkids for the Maui trip. It is sort of a year early 50th anniversary celebration. If we waited another year the grandkids will be more involved in school activities so decided to do it early.

I hear the dryer buzzing so need to change loads. Hope you all are enjoying a terrific Tuesday!