My soup is done and I ate two bowls! It turned out great. I don't usually put meat in it, but DH wanted it so I bought 2 of the big soup bones that I usually use and then one of those little round bones that had a nice piece of meat attached. I cooked the meat in the pressure cooker for 15 min to soften it up and then added it to the soup. I really liked it, so I will ask the guy behind the meat counter what kind of meat it was and buy a bigger piece next time. It might have been chuck. I usually just fill the soup pot with water but this time I measured and it holds 28 cups of water! After I simmered the bones for a while I had to take out some of the water so I could add things. I will give some of this soup to my step-daughter. I can't freeze it because DH would not eat it after it has been frozen.

That Mexicali Hashbrown Casserole sure does sound good, Mary. DH likes potatoes, but he doesn't usually like casseroles. He doesn't like his food all mixed together. Wants to see his meat, potatoes and veggies all separate on his plate. Sometimes I will make something just for myself and then he tries a bit of it and likes it.

I just totally burned my pumpkin pies. After cooking at 425 for 15 min, I meant to turn the heat down to 350 but entered 530 by mistake. It's digital. I am so disappointed! The crusts are black! I just wasn't paying attention. I would like to get more ingredients and start over but DH probably won't want me to. I know he was so looking forward to that pie.

We compromised. DH said he doesn't eat the crust anyway and will eat the pie as it is. But I am making another pie to give to my step-daughter. I won't give her this burned black pie. LOL

Hello! I bought this sherpa fleece blanket from No More Rack. It is a beautiful purple color on one side (fees like microfiber) and fleece on the inside. It is queen size and fits our bed perfectly and is so cozy. Only concern is the tag says it is spot clean only. The material is listed as polyester fiber on both sides. Do you think I could wash/dry it on delicate? I don't want to ruin it. I would not have bought it if I'd realized it was spot clean only but I really love it.
It isn't dirty yet but I'm sure it'll need cleaning now and then, more than just spot cleaning! Any suggestions?

Yesterday I got my office cleaned but then went out for a few groceries and didn't get to the main bathroom so I'm behind today. Last night before bed I quickly cleaned off the small appliances in the kitchen (one of the "extra" tasks for this week), just to be able to to say I got a little more done. One of the problems is I haven't made up a grocery list or menus since we got home from the hospital and I have to go out for things as I am deciding what we will eat the day we eat it usually. I hate having to go to the store almost every day so have to get back on track on that too. Still have four rooms to clean this week and expect my dd and her fam here on Sat for their Christmas with us. So anyway today my goal is to clean the main bathroom and the kitchen.

Dh seems to be getting better although he still has pain and some sob. Yesterday we walked down the cul-de-sac and back. No rain and the sun was shining...about 45 degrees I'd say. He was sob by the time we got back , so rested and then later he used the blower to clean up some leaves around the house. He always feels better when the sun is shining and he can be outside. He's eating better too. Last night I served BBQ Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad and corn. Everyone liked it. I thought I'd gain weight but actually dropped another pound. Hope this holds by Sun, my "official" weigh-in day.

I've basically given up on dh's abdominal surgery healing properly. It still is open in that one spot and continues to drain. I think the sides are trying to come together and the middle has seemed to stop growing but is still rounded, so unless it shrinks, the sides have to grow up and over. I feel it can wait until he is a little stronger. If it doesn't heal right they may have to open it up, clean it out and start again, but I hope not. We have a post-op appt with the lung surgeon next week so maybe can get him him in to see the incision nurse too. I'd really like that surgeon to see it too. It is in the same office. He also will have a chest x-ray before the visit. I expect he will be feeling much better by then.

Carole Sue, glad you were able to compromise on the pie. These things happen..I'm sure it tasted fine. I can understand wanting to make another one though too for your stepdaughter. Your dh sounds a little OCD about his food. I'm kinda OCD about a lot of things myself but not my food. I have a grandson who definitely has OCD tendencies about a lot of things and I see some of it in his mom and dad too. Maybe everyone is in some way..we probably used to just call it picky or particular.

Well need to get my work started. I start so late there aren't enough hours before we sit down to watch TV.

Mary, actually, I didn't make another pie. We cut around the pie and cut the black crust off and it was fine and he said his daughter wouldn't care. So I gave it to her and explain what happened. She didn't seem to care.

Today I baked a chicken casserole and I made sure I got the temperature right this time. LOL

DH is OCD about a lot of things. Yes, food. Particular about some things but not about others. I like change and variety. I always say if I were any more laid back I'd be comatose. LOL

Are you still putting packing in Joe's wound? Did the doctor ever say that the seroma closed up? My belly is a mess from my incision. My surgeon went out of state but I keep forgetting to ask my PCP to look at it and see what he thinks. It might just be that's the way it turned out after 2 surgeries. Actually, the first surgery was OK, but it was after the second surgery that it didn't heal nicely. It doesn't hurt or bother me in any way. I don't mean to say you should not be concerned about Joe. I agree that the doctor should check it out.

When I shop, I buy enough meat to put in the freezer. I never buy a complete order. If chicken is on sale I stock up. The next week it might be pork that's on sale. And so forth. I bring it home and package it in portion sizes for the two of us. I also stock up on canned or frozen foods. I only need to go to the store more often for bread and milk, or fresh vegetables And I rarely have meals planned ahead. I usually decide each day what to make, or sometimes I get it out of the freezer the night before.

When my step-children lived with us I planned the menu each week and posted it on a note inside the cupboard. They were constantly asking me what we were having for dinner so they just had to check the list. Also, I let each one of them suggest a meal each week.

Yesterday, DH shampooed the carpet in the bedroom. The dog was not in there very much except during the night, and he slept in his own little bed. He spent most of his time on his afghan in front of the sofa. I'm wondering if my allergies will get any better now that the dog is gone and the rugs are cleaned. That would be nice. They aren't life threatening, but annoying. A lot of times when I go out I know people think I am sick because I cough and my nose runs. I try to avoid going out among people when I am contageous.

About the sherpa blanket. I really don't know what to tell you. I tend to wash things, but one time I had a dress I really liked and it said Dry Clean Only, but I thought I could wash it in Woolite. It turned out the size for a 10 year old. LOL Maybe you could google "sherpa" and see what it says about care.

Hi Carole Sue - Hope you having a good evening! Glad you didn't have to bake another pie afterall! Pumpkin pie would be good to me even with with a burnt crust! I'd just remove the burned part and eat too..no problem! Chicken casserole sounds good and I can imagine you were careful about the temp.. So far tonight I haven't cooked as no one is hungry. Son bought fast food before coming home and dh is not hungry...so think we'll just snack when we get hungry. Me, I can eat anytime but I'm trying to act "not hungry" for a while. I know it isn't physical hunger anyway.

About dh's incision...no after the nurse cleaned it out really well...I only could pack it once, because by the next day it had grown back up again like she didn't do anything. When we were in the hospital for his lung thing they had me change it since they didn't have an order and I asked for a sterile q-tip to see whether I could budge the bulging part and clean it away like the nurse did but except for one end a bit, it just wouldn't bulge and I could bear to get any rougher with him. The nurse really goes at it and it hurts him even though we know it needed to be done. But strangely it changes every single day! Right now though it is just a bit bulgy and I'm hoping that the sides can grow up over it, perhaps pushing it in a bit more and heal. I've never seen a wound like this though so don't know. No, no one has mentioned the word seroma to me, I'm just guessing that is what it is. And yes, at this point we are happy to just have a healed even if ugly incision. It is only that one spot, about the size of a dime right now..the rest is fine anyway. Perhaps this is because they tried to use an old incison...ironically he did it because he hoped to make that old incision look better! Well, overall it does, so if that one part will heal reasonably well, it still won't be too bad I guess.

All I'm seeing online about sherpa is spot clean. I've emailed No More Rack and got a reply from them saying they are contacting the manufacturer and will get back to me. I talked to some other online friends and they think it could be washable on delicate and then either hang dry or dry mostly in the dryer on delicate and then hang dry. I don't really have a place to hang such a large item but can try over our larger shower door, perhaps folding and unfolding it until it dries. It doesn't need cleaning it, I'm just thinking ahead but I am tempted to try it when it does need it. I'm sure the top part, where we pull it over us will in time look dingy if I don't. I just don't like something I can't wash but it is a beautiful blanket and I'd hate to mess it up. I've done what you did with your dress before. Once lost a beautiful fushia blouse that way.

Well here I am posting twice in one day...since you and Love2 (and sometimes Glynne) tend to post later than me I often check back later in the day. I got a lot done today although not quite everything yet. Want to quickly clean out the fridge and mop the kitchen floor still if I can. Dh is looking better ...did I tell you he is anemic again too? He was the first part of the year after his colonoscopy with three polyps removed and ended up bleeding out and I had to take him to the ER. He took iron and was told his blood work was ok. Well I'm not sure whether it happened before or after the surgery but assuming with the surgery...it's back again. So he looks pale but otherwise I think he is recovering gradually. He's taking a larger dose of iron so the anemia should be resolved in time and so if his pain and sob go away he'll be back to normal hopefully.

I like to have my menus planned and to go shopping once a week based on my menus. I'm just off on everything right now and working my way back to my system. I use what I have on hand but have had to run out more often than I'd like these days. I'm the same...buy more when meat is on sale and plan my menus around what I have onhand. I do buy organic usually so I still pay quite a lot but the meat is very tasty and sometimes the ground beef is cheaper than in the conventional stores...sometimes produce too, but not usually. Never bought organic when my kids were home but it's just us (well and our son now) so feel we can indulge more. Some of the meat I used to buy was too tough for dh with his dentures.

Hope the carpet cleaning helps with your allergy symptoms I have the runny nose year round but they say it is a vaso-motor response rather than an allergy. The meds for allergies never helped and when tested nothing was positive. My frequent cough seems to be positional usually so think it is due to my hernia, however a frequent dry cough can be related to meds. I had one related to my BP med once. The last two weeks though I have had a cold
and am still coughing and alternating runny/stuffing nose although better. Will be two weeks Sat so hoping it will finally be gone then.

Well I feel very gabby today! LOL Sorry about all my chatter!

Good evening GG's,

Sorry I still haven't been able to be here much. Feel like now that we are back home, need to rest up from our vacation ~ LOL, but have still been pretty busy ~ catching up on stuff here. We got back Monday ~ ran some errands before we went home, since we were out and about. Tuesday, had to take the car for some work, then some more errands ~ groceries. That took most of the day. Today, had a couple dr's appointments and got some lab work done, then more errands between dr's appointments while I was out and about. I didn't have my act together, and forgot some papers (results of tests and dates about when things had been done in the past) that I had collected for the dr. I was gone pretty much all day again today. After finding where I put those tomorrow, probably gonna have to go out again to take them to the dr. (if DH doesn't need the car).

All this in preperation for probably surgery on my thyroid/parathyroid. I have a couple nodules which when biopsied previously were benign. The ENT dr who is to do the surgery wants to repeat some of the tests as it has been a while since they were done, so she will have the most up to date information to help her know what to do. This problem has been going on for a while, but I have kept putting it off. My labs (calcium level) is getting higher than it should be and if not taken care of could result in kidney stones and loss of bone density and a greater risk of fractures. So, I guess it is time to get this taken care of. I'll be glad when it is over with, but there are still other things that I have to have done as well. Waited until the new year, so the insurance will help with the cost of things.

I also started to make a kind of journal about our trip ~ if I don't get it down on paper, I soon won't be able to remember. I made brief notes every day to help me. I have that partly done and want to get it finished before I forget.

Maddie really missed us Sara said and wanted to stay over night Monday night, but mama said not that night as she had school in the morning. We said maybe Friday night. I sort of hope she doesn't ask tomorrow, I am feeling really tired and just kind of want to rest.

Sorry no personals yet ~ eventually I'll get caught up.

Hope you all are doing well.

Take care

Gayle, I hope your surgery goes well. As a nurse, you probably know all about it. There are always risks. You will be in my prayers.

We got snow again overnight. DH had to go to his daughter's house and drive her to work because her husband's car is in the shop so he took hers. This is the first time our new car has seen snow, and he said it did well. It's a Chevy Malibu. Now that we're retired we don't go out in inclement weather unless we have to. No sense risking damage to the car.

Gayle, I understand your wanting to rest up a bit before having Maddie over. It's so sweet that she missed you so much. My step-son moved farther away from us. We told him at the time that he was losing his instant babysitter, but that fell on deaf ears. It is an hour drive to his new house, and they always expect us to come there to watch him, or come there to pick him up and bring him back. We enjoy seeing him, but feel as if they are taking advantage of us, making us do all the driving back and forth. They feel that we are retired so we have nothing else to do. DH won't say anything to him, so I guess it will continue this way. I'm just the step-parent...I keep my mouth shut.

Gayle - No wonder you have been busy! Sorry to hear about your need for possible surgery. I have prayed for you and will continue so please let us know how the tests turn out and if you do have to have it and when. I have a couple nodules on my thyroid too...at first they told me to have them checked in a year...they were still benign so now they said to just come back in 2 or 3 years to be checked again. Whatever you have to do I will be praying for a successful easy surgery. It's nice your gd missed you but I can certainly understand your need some rest too. I'm like that...I love my gc but need breaks too.

My weight's been falling (just what the med put on), but tonight I found some ice cream in our old fridge in the garage. I thought the kids ate it all as I hadn't seen it but guess it was just hiding from me and today I unfortunately found it. I know I didn't have to but I did...I ate far too much and it tasted so good. So my weight will probably be up again tomorrow (weigh-in day!). I just can't get the concept of saying no to food I like or even to eating less..help!! Other than the ice cream and maybe partly why, it's kind of been a tiring and emotional day for me ...probably cause I forgot my devotional time this morning and didn't ask for God's grace..really makes a difference...anyway I've been sorta tired and angry all day over multiple silly things (well NOW they seem silly). Really pays to start your day right and get your attitude right then before these things come up and you react without thinking.

Mary, I'll bet that God knows you well enough that he gives you his grace without you asking. Sounds like you had a trying day, it happens to all of us at one time or another.

I wish I could find some ice cream in my house right now. LOL There's lemon pie I made for DH but that's not tempting me. He had a bag of mini Kit Kats around here somewhere but they must be gone. Can't find them either. He keeps his candy on top of the refrigerator and the new one is taller than the old one and I can't really see on top of it. I think I have a half bag of chocolate morsels in the cupboard.

I keep going up and down the same few pounds. I know I have to get some of this weight off before I see the cardiologist again.

DH did something to the computer. Set it back to a couple days ago and now the pop-up ad problem is gone. I hope that's the end of my computer problems for a while.

Yes I agree, God's grace is always extended but opening up ones heart to it is another thing. Today I did and what a difference! Same problems, same issues, same pain, but the difference is in how I react to it. Getting up late seems to be our way of life right now...but I was up at 7:30 to let dog out (I suspect she was tricking me and had already been out) but got her back in her master's room until we got up a little before 9:30.

Despite all that ice cream, my weight was still the same. Not sure what's up with that, but I'll take it. Dh is holding steady at 145. I was thinking weigh-in day was today but it's tomorrow so hoping i can at least hold steady. But the ice cream is still there calling my name..I'm still far from where I was before I started taking the new med but if I can just get down to then I'll be mighty happy. Cleaning the family room today. Then my whole house will finally be fairly clean. Of course there is always the picking up and quick vacs that need to be done daily.

Carole Sue, that is called restoring your computer to an earlier date and it's a great thing to do sometimes. I have done it many times. LOL Wish I could do that with my weight!

Glynne - I'm glad you are not putting off taking care of yourself anymore.

Mary, temptation of ice cream is enormous and I can sympathize. Glad your weiht is same. Hope your hubby can keep on holding or even gaining some weight and strength.

Good luck on the computer issues, Carol Sue. Wish DH knew more than I do and could fix mine at times. Thank goodness our Grandson is a whiz and will often come to answer a panic call.

Mary, Checked out the budget plan you use and we listened to the class explaining how it works for an hour. I came to the conclusion that I'm better off with the Quicken I've used for years but did get some ideas on ways I can use Quicken in a better way. Interesting how things work out.

Gayle, my prayers are added, too, that you find a successful cure to your thyroid problems. The frustrations must be very aggravating.

Lasagna is baking. DD is out of house, she must stay without gluten but we dearly love pasta. This seemed a good time to prevent her being tempted and we can have the dish we really enjoy, with leftovers, too.

Hi ladies! Fellow GG back to 3FC. Last here in 2009 by another name that I guess expired.

Lost all my weight going "primal", meaning I only eat primary foods. Except for bbq sauce and Ranch dressing.

Eager to get to know you guys, and pay it forward/help if I can! I've been in weight loss maintenance since Sept. 2013.

Welcome Sunny ~ you have done a wonderful job. Could you share what things (a list perhaps) of the foods you eat. I read part of your blog and would like to learn more about how/what you eat. I need/want to feel better. I think it might be kind of how my diabetic friend has shared with me that she eats. I followed her suggestions for a while, but eventually fell back into old patterns and ~ well here I am ~ still stumbling along.

Thank you for your help

Gayle, I hope you find your nitch. It is so hard for me, too. I start out great in the morning, but start to waver mid-day.

Welcome, Sunny. We welcome any and all information that might help us toward our goal.

Mary, I woke up at 3AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I got up and read until 5AM then went back to bed and slept until 9AM, so I feel pretty good now. Sleep is always a problem for me, and I blame it on my blood sugar.

I would also like to restore my weight to an earlier date...like 1971, LOL That's good that you maintained. Maybe you ate less of other things so the ice cream didn't have such a bad effect. DH is usually the one to buy ice cream, but he eats some the day he brings it home and then doesn't want any more. Guess who finishes it?

Today I'm eating the rest of my vegetable soup for lunch and making meatloaf for dinner. After we eat I will give the leftovers to my step-daughter. She will either use it for a meal for them, or for sandwiches for her husband's lunch. Luckily they love my leftovers and he says this co-workers are always jealous when he brings them for lunch. I hate to waste food and DH doesn't like leftovers.

Funny how husbands don't check the refrigerator for leftovers like we women do. If I reheat and serve the leftovers, DH is often pleased, but never thinks to look for them. I just finished a decent portion of last night's meal, it was good.

Had to be up extra early today, all 3 of us for different reasons. DD had a date with fellow passing thru on his way to his home 9 hours away. DH and I went to Mass, I was reader today, some of my favorite Bible passages. Love to share them with our Church family.

Got visit with some families we don't see often as we usually go to a later service. Always good to spend a bit of time with friends.

Sunny, you have maintained far better than usual. What are some of the changes that have helped you?

May each of you have a good Sunday and stay warm and healthier.