Just got the call from the hospital. My surgery is at 9am tomorrow.

Having problems seeing clearly today - been putting eye drops in both eyes yesterday & today.

Will check back as soon as I can.

Lynn

Lynn, I'll keep you in my prayers. I'm sure you'll be up and about in no time.

Lynn, I will pray for God to guide the surgeons hands and that you make a speedy recovery!

Lynn i wish u a speedy recovery prayers going your way.. rosey

Lynn, you will be in my thoughts and prayers.. Get us an update when you feel like it.

Thank you all so much for the condolences. This particular brother had the most complex situation of all the siblings...by FAR...and one of my brothers and I, the oldest two, are really going to be tied-up straightening out all his affairs. He is executor and POA and I'm caring for my dad and even though dad is not cognitively able to handle things, he still IS "the dad" and so that sort of puts me in the position of acting in his stead....so will be pretty busy...have boxes and boxes of paperwork to go through in order to find everything we need to take care of.

My sister was here yesterday and put some photos on here for me because I had no idea how to do this...so I will try to show then to you. Not sure where they will show up here...maybe at the bottom of the post. I am so NOT tech-savvy and rely on son and sister to help me. To me, I don't see a huge difference in the before and after but in person, there is a HUGE difference. The before photo is very blurry as it is a photo of a photo that she took with her iphone....and there are very limited photos as I didn't let anyone take my picture, if I could help it, at 195 lbs.

My hair is in a pony-tail and is down to my waist when down....and I know this looks a bit insane for a woman who's gonna be 58 in June but it's been this way almost my whole life and I have NO idea how to do hair and only really know how to throw it in a ponytail. I've only been to a hairdresser/salon ONCE....and that was when my sister took me to get my hair washed when I broke my shoulder and couldn't do it myself.

Ella...those twins are adorable....and I SO miss when my sons were at that chubby, adorable stage and so often wish I could have them back that way, if only for a day.

Lynn..I will be thinking about you today and hope your surgery goes well.

I did lose a few pounds in December but I didn't realize you ladies were doing monthly totals so I'm not all that sure what the exact number would be strictly for December. I just changed my CW and ticker from 156 to 149 (and actually scale is showing 148.5 this morning but I always wait until it shows a few days in a row to consider it permanent) and the majority of the 7 lb. loss was for December, I'm pretty sure....as I've not been a member here all that long.....so maybe about 5 lbs. for December? Hoping that will help your tally. I'm doing very militant Atkins and 5 lbs. a month is quite reasonable and don't think it's an over-estimate.

Well ladies...I sure do hope I did the photos correctly and that they will show up here. So glad to be back.

Deena

Good Morning Girls!
We're expecting more snow this afternoon but what else is new? I actually love the snow, just not blizzards when we have places to go and people to see.
I've been thinking of Lynn all morning, it's 6:36 here in Minnesota and I'm thinking she's probably in prep right now with our difference in time. God be with you Lynn.
I posted a Alfredo sauce that's a tad healthier than the regular recipe, put it on a pizza crust with chicken, very good but salty.
I made the Barley recipes of Lynn's yesterday morning and reheated it at supper time. (I do that often, make the side dishes in the morning before my feet give out) I omitted the salt and still thought it was salty from the chicken bouillion. Strangely enough, the salt must have mellowed in the dish after refrigeration because it was just right after I reheated it.
I'm sick of my same-o, same-o recipes. Someone inspire me, what's ya all having for supper tonight?
I love Crabby Maxine, she is a hoot. I have a desk calendar with a Maxine joke on it daily. I already have my new 2010 Maxine calendar. Today's joke was Maxine looking out the window with her faithful dog. "I just saw my neighbor drag his tree out to the curb. That reminds me, I need to get the relatives to leave!"

Quote:
Bobbi - I just wanted to compliment you on the Maxine quotes you put in your signature - they are such a HOOT

Tomorrow's is "It's so cold my hot flashes are starting to feel kind of good."
Thank goodness I don't have those anymore, last one was last spring.
You all have a great day.
I got an email telling me my new stepper is on it's way, hope this one will be usable and not so stiff.

Hahaha....Bobbi, you just made my day!
Oh, the bust was there but hidden in these HUGE men's shirts that I'd get at the thrift shop to hide myself in....as I was so horrified at how I looked. I now wish I'd allowed more photos to be taken so I might have better ones but I was really hiding in these huge, tent-like men's shirts. I was up to around a 42DD and now down to a 38C.

I'm 57...and will be 58 in June. I honestly do think I have nice hair and get compliments on the actual hair but I do think most people think I'd look a heck of a lot better at my age if I'd get my hair cut and think it's rather inappropriate for my age. One said I reminded her of a brunette "Sally Starr"....and am sure you'll remember HER back in the day, right? Cowboy hat and long, blond pony-tail....still, in her 50's or 60's.
Whenever I mull over getting it cut, I remember working as a nurse and having to wash this woman's hair after an EEG and I tried to blow-dry it and the other nurses were laughing when they saw the results and one asked, "what style is that? A duck-tail?"......and knowing that I know nothing about styling my own hair, I always chicken out.

I'm so glad you're getting another stepper. It's funny...I'm trying to learn who's who here and the ones with a photo avatars seem to be the first ones I'm keeping straight and then I'll start to worry about all sorts of their details and when I saw you'd sent the stepper back, I thought, "oh no, she needs to have a stepper".....as I'd sensed you really liked using this....so am now very glad/relieved to see you have a new one arriving.

Also to Rosey...I feel so terrible about your dog and hope he recovers completely. I am a huge animal lover and we all have cats in our family and they are ALL rescues....most from shelters and mine from the street (tossed out de-clawed, poor thing.....and I grabbed her up and she lives a life of luxury now). Let me know how your dog is doing.

Deena

Rosey, so sorry to hear about Willie.... that is so sad. Please tell me that the neighbors are going to be held responsible for this. Please let us know how he is doing.

Deena, your pictures are great! You can sure see the difference. I got my hair cut real short (Jamie Lee Curtis style) and I love it. The first time (years ago) that I had my hair cut it was down to the middle ofmy back and the stylist was so scared to cut it. But I'm glad that I did it.

Bobbi, hope you get your stepper real soon. Which kind did you get? I went down to my woman cave yeserday and did a little bit---- I am so out of shape! Got to get with the program!!

Lynn, thinking of you and saying prayers.

Need to get going. I'm putting together a crock pot of ham and baked beans for supper tonight! Using up some of that Christmas ham!

Good afternoon ladies. I spent the better part of the day cleaning the basement bedrooms. Our 2 DSs and families will be here starting this afternoon and into the weekend. I was going to walk but it became too late to go out and get home before dark. But I had lots of trips up and down the stairs and later on this evening I'll get on my bike and peddle to nowhere while watching TV.

Rosey, how is your dog coming along? Let us all know how things go with the neighbors, too.

Deena, you look so young. And you can definitely see a difference in the before and after pics. We're the same age. I'll be 58 in May. I'm always changing my hair length. I get bored with it looking the same and I'll let it grow or have it cut. Just had it cut before Christmas and not sure if I like it. Ha, ha. Anyway hair grows. You can never ruin it for long.

Jess, great weight loss. 2 pounds is awesome.

Karen, I'm using up Christmas vegetables tonight. I'm making a shepherd's pie with some of the peas and carrots and gravy I have in the frig. So Bobbi, there's the answer to your question: Shepherd's Pie.

Well, must go and peel potatoes for the topping of the SP. Catch you all later. Can't wait for Baby GS to get here.

Lynn, you are in my thoughts this morning. I pray that all goes well with your surgery.

Omigawd. I spent most of yesterday cleaning my house from top to bottom. Scrubbing all those nooks and crannies that you miss when you're in a hurry. Now I'm achey in spots I forgot I had.
Those recipes sound scrumptuous, Lynn - in fact, everything sounded scrumptuous to me last night - I was starving after all that moving and shaking with dust mop, broom and bucket! I put two trays of veggies in the oven to roast for supper sprayed with grapeseed oil and a garlic & herb mixture that we ate over brown rice with jumbo shrimp (which I marinated in the grapeseed/garlic mix and then added to the veggies for the last 5 minutes in the oven). I thought I was going to chew the leg off my computer table while I was waiting for it to be done.
I am definitely making those squash fries, Bobbi (LOVE the pic, by the way - you GO, glamor girl!) and going to try the barley pilaf and ginger couscous too.
Good job, Isabella, with the restrained eating at your SIL's - I'm finding that harder and harder to do myself these days. Best for me to stay home, I guess. At home I can control what I eat pretty easily, but when I'm out somewhere and there are piles of fattening - and oh, so yummy - food, I have a hard time not grabbing some.
Ooooooh. My back is protesting all the bending and kneeling and climbing and twisting and everything else I did yesterday in the process of cleaning up this place.
Good grief, Freda! Pneumonia? You take care of yourself, you hear? Stay warm, take your medicine - if you were a little closer, I'd be over with my homemade chicken soup! Yep...maybe I'll get hooked on Wii Fit. DH certainly is, that's for sure. He's going crazy trying to find a store that isn't sold out. At this point, I think he may be willing to drive across state lines. I'll certainly give it a try. Can't promise anything, though...you-all KNOW about me and exercise!
Rosey, Omigawd. Your poor dog! I just can't bear the thoughts of animals being hurt like that. I sure hope he makes a full recovery. Dang neighbors like that! Who is it? The Palins? Okay, okay...<ducking> I apologize. Seriously. I couldn't help it. Honest. It won't happen again. I promise. (NO politics here).
Welcome back, Deena. Your hair is beautiful. My mother told me, when I turned 30, that it was time to cut my hair because it wasn't "seemly" for an "older woman" to keep her hair long. I cut it then (it was at my waist) and have regretted it ever since. I'm just now letting it grow again. When it gets long enough, I'll wear it down my back in a braid. I'm just wishing I had Bobbi's COLOR! So, sooooo pretty Bobbi! I just love it!
Linda, My son just called - he lives in L.A. He says it's raining there, and he poked fun at me about how cold it is here in Massachusetts. NO fair, darn it. I hate weeding, but I'd do it if it would just warm up around here...Every time I say anything even slightly edgy or snippety, my DH says "Uh-oh...feeling that seasonal affective disorder again, huh?" I'm about ready to knock him over the head with a baseball bat...
Congrats on hitting Onederland, Sue! You're really doing it, kid. Keep up the good work!
Still snowing where you are, Donna? Good grief. I know I complain constantly about the snow and ice we get, and it isn't anything compared to what you and Bobbi, and the rest of our midwestern chickies are dealing with this year. I swear I'd lose my mind completely if we got that much snow. It rained most of the summer here in New England, and I was ready to burrow under the covers of my bed and stay there until the sun came out. It would've been one heck of a long time burrowed in, too, because we sure didn't have much sun.
Well, enough already. I know I missed folks - and I'm sorry. Catch you next time around, and in the meantime, sending warm thoughts and encouragement your way.


Z