Way to go Mary

Gayle Keep us posted on the ways your DH adjusts to the diet in that book. His ability to stick to a plan is amazing. Understand your frustration. Hope the things that tempt you can be kept out of the house.

Mary Bet you are enjoying family, friends and your picnic, or is it tomorrow?

Carol Sue Your meals sound like the ones I had growing up. Dad had to have his potatoes.

Our family has had people from several other nations live here, or marry into family. This has given us some very different opportunities to try foods in different ways, and even some unsual food.

Today, for example, 9 of us gathered at our favorite Asian restaurant to celebrate our son's birthday. 4 generations of us from my husband down to 2 year old Anthony. What a marvelous time we had. Lots of stories, laughter, and the different kinds of food we chose were funny. DIL chose Thai platter, one daughter raw tuna, another suchemi (sp) rolls, a granddaughter with another kind, son with chicken with sesame coating, grand son, chinese, DH and I back to Thai currey with a spicy sauce that i love.

Servings too large so I just finished reheating the other half of my lunch for my dinner. DH is doing the same with his extra. DD will cook something for herself because she had no left overs.

Well I'm almost ready for tomorrow's BBQ...cooking eggs right now. Will devil them in the morning. So glad son is cooking the chicken. He's had it marinating since last night...should be delicious! I will cook the ribs in the morning, then it's just a matter of timing and getting everything on the table. The guys did a good job (as well as they could) at cleaning the patio and furniture. Dh even planted some pretty flowers in the pots around the patio and tonight I bought a small flower for the table. Son says we need to get the patio resealed and I know he's right, hopefully we will get that done this summer. Back to the BBQ, I ended up buying ice cream, two flavors. A few people will probably most eat the meat and the ice cream so felt bad to deny them this. I couldn't get the baked beans from the deli so I bought the Bush kind like you Carol Sue...they are good too.

So far even with a bit of an emotional issue today on the part of one kid I have kept to my eating plan, if you can call it that. Not much of a plan really, just being careful.

Breakfast
Blueberry protein smoothie

Lunch (out)
General Tso's Chicken - shared but I ate most of it, took home a little
Mixed Vegetables (lots)
Rice - 1/2-3/4 c

Snack
Sample of brownie at store

Dinner
Leftovers from lunch but no rice. It was very small
1 serv sunflower seeds
SF mocha frappe (I make it from SF mix), about 95 cal and 9 carb grms.

Don't plan to eat anymore, very full.

No exercise other than shopping and mopping kitchen floor. Ended up mopping almost 1/2 of it twice as I spilled some soaping water on it. I had planned to steam mop it later tonight but now don't feel I need to.

Love2Garden - Your meal sounds so good...I'm glad you enjoyed being with family. My dh and kids like all kinds of food too ..only one is picky but he is spreading about a bit these days...but not at my house.

I just lost my long post! I'm going to Kohls, so I'll come back and repost.

Carol Sue Did you find what you were looking for? Bet Kohl's was crowded.

We were home and outside all day. Walked early then tried to follow shady areas to weed and water. Short on rain here and some things too dry.

As I got out of the shower I realized how red faced I am. Must have been in sun more than I realized. Next time I'll wear hat even if I THINK i'll not be in the sun.

Mary you worked very hard for todays picnic, hope all suited you and am sure everyone enjoyed all your preparations. Would love to have your deviled eggs. I must fix some soon, they are so delicious. Ribs, too? wow/

Good evening GG's,

It was a quiet day today ~ sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy.

Sara was busy at her house ~ she had wanted to go to Kansas City to visit some friends, but waited too long to find an affordable plane ticket. She ended up working on a project she had been wanting to get at for a while. Repainting the cupboard doors in her kitchen. I'm not sure how many she got done ~ she has more to go she said. She sent pictures and what she has got done so far ~ looks nice. She said it would take her months to finish it and that it was hard work.

So, she didn't stop by like she does sometimes when she has the weekend off. Jason was working too, so we didn't see him either.

Feeling kind of stressed by stuff ~ some impending changes, and medical stuff yet to be done.

I woke up at 4 am ~ stressing about this Eat to Live diet DH is wanting to do. Feeling like it was gonna be a lot of work. Made some notes ~ questions to ask his brother (a doctor) who has been doing this way of eating for a couple years now.

DH (Steve) worked on reading some more of that Eat to Live book. Then today, he spent a while on the phone asking questions of his brother. The information he gave DH was helpful. It can be done more simply ~ without having to use the recipes in the book, unless you want to. And he buys some things instead of making everything from scratch. That was a relief. For me ~ the simpler the better ~ easier to stick to it. DH wants to do this and it was stressing me out ~ feeling like it was gonna be a lot of work.

I've also got that colonoscopy hanging over my head ~ and to add to the stress of that ~ DH has to make a call ~ with some questions about if providers are “in network” for our insurance. I have to wait for him to get the answer ~ and depending on what he finds out ~ start the prep tomorrow at noon or reschedule the procedure. I sort of hope I do not have to reschedule ~ I just want to be over and done with it.

Hope you all had a nice weekend. Only a few more days of school (8 I think) then summer break begins. We will have Maddie all day every day.

Your BBQ sounds so nice Mary, even with decorating with the flowers, a thoughtful touch. What did your son marinate the chicken in? I love chicken, but I have never used marinates. My mother never used them and I never learned about them. Many times when I eat chicken out it tastes so much better than mine and probably because of marinating. I'm sorry to hear that your son has diabetes, but maybe it will be better for you, trying to set a good example for him. Congratulations on the low weight! Show's you're doing something right.

This morning I cooked the potatoes and eggs for potato salad. Then we went to Kohls, then I made the potato salad when I came home. We just cooked hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst on the grill, with potato salad and canned baked beans. I ate the beans as is today instead of rinsing them and I ate my hotdog with a bun. It was all good. Right now I am trying not to eat leftovers.

I was at Kohl's yesterday and I got a couple tops and DH got some shirts. They had coupons for $10 off a $30 purchase so we had DH's stuff rung up separately from mine. I had seen some shoes I wanted, sandals, but didn't try them. So we went back today and I got the sandals and another top. We also got a WiiU game for DGS and some hand therapy balls. You squeeze them and they are supposed to help with stiffness and pain. I remember when I was a child, there was a neighbor who appeared to be about 90 (a child's viewpoint) and he was always squeezing a little rubber ball. Now I am that elderly man. It is a $12 investment to see if they help.

Gayle, I'm sorry to hear that you are worrying so much about things. They are not trivial things, but maybe things that you cannot change and might not be as bad as you thought once they come to be. I hate when I worry at night and cannot sleep.

I was reading through the book, too. It sounds to me that a big portion of the meals is 2 big salads a day, with a lot of different vegetables. I have been eating more salads now that the weather is warmer, but I usually have to be in the mood to eat salad. It's not usually a first choice for me. Maybe you will get some help and guidance from Steve since he seems to be the one who is really pushing toward this WOE. It would really be healthy for both of you if you can do it.

Love2garden. I finally got the rest of my mulch spread. It looks so much nicer now that it's cleaned up a bit. We dug out the yucca that was growing in my iris bed. DH doesn't know how it got there. It's possible that he pulled out a bit of the other one and just threw it down and it took root. After we dug it up I sifted through the dirt and found 5 iris bulbs. I don't know where the rest went. Maybe rotted away. I put the bulbs in some water and will plant them again this week. Maybe they will come back next year. They are blue, and my step-son is giving me some yellow/orange ones from his yard. We also dug out the original yucca plant because DH's brother wants them to plant by his shed. Someone gave him an old rusty shed and he painted it and wants some plants around it to make it look nicer. I didn't have any emotional attachment to those yuccas so I didn't mind him giving them away. If a small piece of it was left in the soil it will be back next year. LOL We still have some bushes that are getting too big and need to be cut back. I try to work in the AM when it's cooler and shady.

I want to take a picture of the hill behind my house to show you. Years ago I bought 2 small forget-me-nots and they have spread all over the hill along with some buttercups. It's like this every spring. When they get too big and bushy DH cuts them down with a weed whacker to keep the ground hogs from making their home in them. It will all be back next spring. I want to take a picture before he mows it all down. The hill is too steep to be useable, but gives us some privacy.

So this was the long post I lost this morning. Hope it doesn't get lost again.

This morning I was in the middle of typing a long post on another forum and our power went out. It was out for at least a minute then came back on. We had to reset our clocks and the computer went completely off. But after the power came back on it booted right back up to where I had been, and my half-typed post was still there. Go figure!

Carol Sue Sounds like successful shopping trip for both of you. Relief to find what you are looking for.

DH uses lots of marinades on his meats. Only caution, after using the marinaid
toss it down the drain Some can get food poison from using the fluid that was on RAW meat, and we can't afford that.

Hill of Buttercups? How DH would love that, and me too. The single on by new Serviceberry out front will probably multiply, and we don't care. I'm so pleased with the garden mulched here, too. Some weeds come up, but far less. I mulch my pots of plants, too. Seems to make them last longer before watering.

Gayle Understand the concern about your colonoscopy. I'm trying to schedule one, too, and must e put to sleep because my bursitis in my hips makes lying on my side very painful. Need to try again.

Our BBQ went well and we enjoyed our time together. Both families came later than planned but still we had a good time and there was plenty food. I was proud of the way our yard and patio looked...the guys sure worked hard on it. We need to get the patio resealed though.

Our dishwasher stopped working yesterday...actually it works but can't get any water in. Yet the faucet in the sink works ok, so not sure what's wrong. Also the bar that the upper rack runs on is broke again. They can't come until June 8 so going to be washing dishes by hand a while.

When we were at the resort recently they had bedside lamps with outlets in the base to charge your phone, ipad etc. I decided I had to have one like that so I just ordered these. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wanted to get some from a store so I could actually see/feel them...but couldn't find any I liked as well. I hope I like these when they arrive.
Trying to fix our house up little by little.

Well I have to get ready for my appt soon so no time for personals this time.
Hope you all had a good Memorial day, sorry haven't even had time to read the posts yet.

We saw that type lamp when we had a hotel stay recently, too, Mary. They're nice. We don't have bedside lamps so that's not an option here. I have lamps on the dresser but rarely use them. We just use the overhead light.

When we charge everything they are all over the kitchen counter. DH charges both phones and my Kindle every Friday. A creature of habit.

Well I'm back from my dr's appt...not much to report on. My pain is much less so told him I'd just stick with asa or tyl when I have pain. He reminded me of the concerns with both meds and to let him know if things get worse. He doesn't know what's causing my abd pain/discomfort but doesn't seem concerned about my liver...says that is probably just due to gaining weight and it is called a fatty liver. I've heard of that. I see him next in July and will get labs done before the visit. He's easy to talk to.

Carol Sue for years we didn't use table lamps too, but since we've lived in this house (38 years!) I think dh has been the only one with a lamp and he does use it. One reason I don't have a lamp is because I have a fairly large fan on my bedside table. I can't really remember whether I had a table lamp before that. I think both the fan and this new lamp will fit on my table, just won't look as good, but I can always remove the fan during the day if I really care about how it looks. Dh has often told me I should get a small personal fan ...one that clips on the head of the bed, but first I think it might not hold good and I might bump it in the night since I move around a lot, it might not blow enough air for me, and also I think he might feel it more. He complains now and then about the one I have blowing air on him but I try to keep it slanted toward my legs rather than my head and that helps. If an overhead fan did that, I don't think it would help me much. I maybe wrong but these are my thoughts about it. As to charging, I will mostly use it to charge my phone, right now I have to run the cord around from the wall (in back), this will just be easier plus I like the look of the lamp. I hope I like it still when I get it. Always my concern when ordering online and not having a local store to which to return it. I bought two so dh will have one too even though he often charges his phone while watching TV as he has an outlet next to his recliner. I will transfer his current lamp to the family room I think.

My dd brought me a potted flower yesterday. It is very pretty and is called Zantedeschia Paco. I've never heard of that, but although the bloom is kind of a wine/purple color it resembles a lily in shape and feel. Oh decided to google it and here it is: https://www.google.com/search?source...69i57.4391j1j7
Perhaps you guys know about it, but I am not very knowledgeable about plants. It was so pretty on the table...I had bought a small flower but this is much larger. We will plant it in the yard as soon as dh has time.

Dh and ds are setting up a new security system (will be in addition to our current one I think). They had to run to Radio Shack for something. We will connect to my computer and I think we will be able to check the house remotely. At least that is my understanding of it, I haven't read any of the lit that came with it. Ds gave it to dh at Christmas.

My son uses different marinades...i think this time it was a kind of teryaki. It was the hit of the BBQ. My ribs were ok, but not as good as I would have liked. I marinate now and then but not often but he does it alot...no recipe, he likes to experiment. Yes, love2garden, we throw out the marinade other what we might use to baste the meat with while cooking and make sure it gets to cook too. I agree we don't need to get sick...

Carol Sue - It's fun to have some new clothes so enjoy them. Hope the squeezing ball helps you too. Glad you enjoyed your holiday meal...beans and bun and all! I certainly don't blame you. Afterall I had two pieces of apple pie yesterday and one had a little ice cream on it!! Told the dr today too!
Know what you mean about the leftovers though...I had some beans and potato salad for lunch...ate one rib but I'm not really a pork eater (with an occasional exemption...has to be REALLY good!). What I DIDN"T tell my dr was I also had a piece of apple pie for breakfast this morning! No ice cream though. And the pie is now gone except a piece I promised my dh. Ds doesn't like sweets.

Both of you describe your flowers so I can see them in my mind...at least those I know about, the others I just imagine.

Glynne - I will probably have to have a colonoscopy soon too. Dr is going through my chart to see when I last had one. It's a big chart so may take him a while. I think it was when I had my gall bladder surgery (before) but he didn't seem to think that was likely. Anyway I dread the thought of it. Most people seem to go through them hardly knowing it's been done though. I have so much scar tissue they will for sure have to give me something.
I hope you and your dh do well on that Eat to Live diet...I know it's a healthy way to eat.

Gayle, I know that Dr Fuhrman recommends eating a lot of beans, 2 cups a day, and with all those vegetables that is a lot of fiber. Some people have a hard time eating that much fiber, lots of pain and gas. I don't recall if he said to start off with 1/2 C and increase gradually. I would be wary of that.

Mary, we don't have a security system but I think if I ever lived alone I would get one. My step-son has one that was already there when he moved in and he has continued it. They are in a more rural area with few neighbors so it's good for them to have that since they are gone most of the day.

I've never heard of that flower but it is pretty. It says it's a type of calla lily. I don't know a lot about flowers and plants except the ones I have in my yard. I don't know much about all the ones that Love2garden mentions.

DH says he wants to get something to spray in the yard to deter fleas and ticks. I think our last dog died as a result of a tick bite. I don't want to have a repeat of that with Rusty. There are deer on top of the hill and sometimes we see them down in the yard. I don't know what the stuff is but we will look around for it. I'm wondering how long it lasts. I don't like spraying a lot of pesticides with the dog in the yard so much. When I spray weed killer I do it right before we go to bed so Rusty won't be out in the yard when it's freshly sprayed.

I'm glad you enjoyed your apple pie. That is way to sweet for me. I could eat it if I didn't put any sugar in it but then DH wouldn't eat it, and he's the reason I make it.

I have a couple financial matter to take care of today, so I'd better get off the computer and get busy!

Have a good day!

Well I didn't maintain the 166.5 but I did drop 1/2# from last Wed and am now 167. Hoping to maintain that. I tend to go up and down.

My back is very sore the last couple days...think I just slept really hard one night lying on my right side without getting up. Don't do that often but sometimes when I do I wake up sore and stiff. Should have gone to the gym but dh was hurting from the work he did yesterday so we stayed home. I've done my stretches and will ride my bike and hopefully shake the sore/stiffness off. I need to make up menus and a grocery list and go to the store. It is 74 today and the sun is shiny...thats the highest temp we've had so far!

You all..have a good day!

ETA: They are about ready to complete the installation on our new security system. With this system we have a monitor and DVR that will show anyone who is in our yard or approaches our door. We actually have three systems in a way. We have a cheap one I call the "ding ding" that dings when anyone, or even a cat comes in our yard. Its really too sensitive as it picks up kids biking in the street near our yard or the mail man stopping to put in mail at the curb but I really like it too esp at night. The main alarm system is alarmed doors and windows and if someone should attempt to come in, it sets off a loud alarm. And now this new one where we can actually see the person or what it is...so say the ding ding goes off, we can check the monitor rather than going to a window or door. Thing I don't like about it is they have to put the monitor and DVR on our dresser. Spoils the look of the dresser where I have family pics and other ornaments I like. Also requires at least one hole made in the ceiling and/or wall. I am not happy but my dh and son think it needs to be done. My thought is we've never had any real problem and may never. I believe God is my protector. At the same time I guess it is sensible to prepare as much as possible...I mean that's why we buy insurance isn't it. There is nothing really valuable in the house so it is more for protection than anything.

Mary, that's what DH told our friends when they said they got a security system "We have insurance to cover break-ins" but I would get one for personal safety if I am ever here along. Our friends live a few streets away from us and have a few break-ins in the neighborhood. As as far as I know there have never been any in our neighborhood. There's a first time for everything. DH has stickers on the windows that say we have a security system.

DH took pictures of our hill and I wanted to post them but it keeps saying upload failed. Maybe the files are too big and I don't know how to fix it.