Good Morning, Everyone,

It’s a grey, dreary, rainy day here – but at least the hot weather broke. I did my 90 minutes (6 miles) on the treadmill this morning – Saturday’s training is for 10 miles so I will skip the treadmill tomorrow.

Today I need to shop for baby gifts. Two for a baby shower for twins & one for my niece’s grandson – my first great-great-nephew!

I did some food shopping this morning and plan to make some couscous and dried fruit and apple juice. I LOVE it heated & topped with cold vanilla yogurt.

Have a great day,

Lynn


Hi Nancy,

It is hard enough to put up with houseguests when they are being nice. I wish you a speedy five days!

Hi Mary,

Around here we have a Grange Fair. My DD enters one of her knitted items every year and wins blue ribbons. Our Grange Fair Food is a chicken dinner with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn bread. I eat a little bit of everything & my SIL finishes whatever I leave.

Morning...arrrrrrgh! Emily's latest predictions show we are just out of the cone. Which has her turning North and out to sea off the whole coast. Have to wait another day for her to pass over Hispaniola mountains and what's left. Hate waiting. One cp model has her crossing Fl right over us.....nah deny that one totally. For you newer chicks we down here get treating hurricanes like nasty old relatives that show up unwanted.....kinda like Aunt Tilly who we wanna lock in the attic.

NancyNC...4 Days left! Old friends are good(almost as good as Fabio) But 4 is a doable number. DD says you all had storm last night that was more noise than rain.

Lynn...we are chipping in to buy you pink running shoes as our resident every ready bunny!

Bobbie...still saying a prayer that your DF is out of pain.

Donna...when do you start the new job?

Mary....so happy for you that the check is real.

Karen...Good thing you showed us your pink toe nails because I was about to ask if you've turn into a mermaid?

Am still exhausted from yesterday's bridge. Yup going back next week. So tired couldn't sleep well. Guess that means nap day today. After I cook Dash's turkey thighs. Love this new fry pan. It sears for 15 minutes and takes self down to temp you pick after that. Get a nice gold brown skin without having to watch the pot. Drive neighbors crazy by cooking out on the lanai. later k3

Be back later for personals. I won't be around by 2050 but my daughter/grandsons will. Triple?

Something wonderful just happened to my Golden Girls page, the fonts are all huge? I must have accidently hit something and I'm not going to change it. I noticed when reading your post Rie, I was going to tell you I love the new larger printing. Then I noticed everyone's larger. Growing up in a rural area, I love the smell of fresh cut hay too. They should bottle it and sell as a fabric softner scent or room mister.

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They had cut the hay on the farm so my first and last half miles were filled with the sweet and green scent of alfalfa. It was really nice.

Zoe...guess what I wore to my daughters wedding? Black and white 2 piece suit. My daughter's MIL wore a ivory 2 pc. suit which I thought was too close in color to my daughters wedding dress. I can't imagine your son's future MIL wearing a long gown, never heard of such a thing in our neighborhood. Is the wedding going to be very, very elegant I'm proof you don't need to exercise to lose weight, I hate exercising. I did a few hand weights that took all of 3-4 minutes.

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so, no. No actual exercise, and I’m ashamed of myself, but I’m working my way up to it slowly. The bride’s mother informed me – at the wedding shower – that she will be

Lynn...You boggle my mind just thinking of what you put yourself through. Where do you find all that energy? I'm thinking a positive mind is part of it, especially after losing your hubby, then having some health problems.

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I am starting to be overwhelmed with all of my commitments. I am also NOT eating right - too many carbs and too few fruits and veggies. I have been on a non-cooking kick and I need to get back into my kitchen.

I collected some dried weeds a couple of days ago and made a new arrangement for my living room. I get tired of looking at the same decor, when I was small I used to change my bedroom around often. I shouldn't say my bedroom, it was shared with two sisters at one time, then only one.
Nancy remind me again who SHE is, your granddaughter?

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Got to go back into hiding in bedroom (was going to post more, but SHE is here).

I need to take a break and hang up some clothes, DH hung the first batch of wet clothes out, my turn. Later.....

Good Afternoon GG's,

It is quite nice outside today. Looks like out heat wave finally broke, at least for today. We even got a little rain yesterday, which was much needed. Nothing going on here today. I got up really stuffed up I took 1/2 a benadryl and slept the morning away. got up groggy and felt like I had wasted the day. I did the usual spiffying up the house, and took DH shopping for some new family room tables. Mine are totally worn out. They went through the grands and they are old enough now to take care, so I guess it's time to replace.

Bobbi, Your post brought back sad memories of when we lost my DGM. She was 97 and, while you're never ready to let them go, you come to realize that your trying to keep them here is just selfish on your part. To all things there is a season.....I can't say I am really happy with your doctors. You've been having these headaches for months and they are just now doing an MRI? and it took them forever to do x-rays!!!

Mary, I love the fair and I love the food. But, healthy it ain't!! I love the elephant ears (nothing but fried dough with sugar) and all the other junk that goes with it. One good thing, you do a lot of walking...if you decide to go, just remember to pick your posion.

Lyn, You are some swimmer! I always thought that would be such a fun way to exercise. Especially since I can't swim.

Lynn, Well, you kept your vow to yourself. You sure kept yourself busy.

Z, I'm seeing a lot of weddings that are done in black also. it seems to be the "thing" right now. Like you, I was taught that you don't wear black or white to a wedding. But things change and rules get broken. I did go to a wedding where all the BM's wore black and it was really elegant. No matter what you decide to wear you will show them what CLASS looks like.

Rosie, Looks like the BBQ was a big success. Are those doggies running you ragged? My little Benny is almost 15 and I'd almost forgotten how much energy a puppy has. I hope DH is feeling better. And I think going with him to the Dr. is a very good idea. Men are not good at getting information about what they need to eat (at least in my experience).

Karen, sounds like you're feeling much better. It's good to see you out and about again. I bet those bridge people are really missing the yummy food you were always telling us about (and making our mouths water).

Donna, there are times that I go Vegiterian for awhile too. And I'm fine with that, really enjoy it. Don't know if I could long term, but I think it is very healthy. Has Granny/mom made her decision about the surgery?

Rie, I love sweet potatoes. I have them often. Isn't it relaxing to take just a few min. to sit outside in the morning, before the rest of the world wakes up, and just enjoy the stillness?

I really should go do something...or not.

Freda

Hi everyone,

I got REALLY cute things for the babies. Macy’s was having a sale + I had a coupon for 20% off. I got 4 outfits (one for each of the twins + two for my new great, great nephew) for $60.

Have a great day,

Lynn

Hi Karen,

What kind of fry pan? I need a new, bigger pan. Mine is not big enough to do my protein plus veggies. Maybe I will try your brand.

Hi Rie,

Would you feel comfortable enough with your buddies to ask them to refrain from commenting about your weight? Maybe something like – “It’s just me, but I really do not like discussions about my weight. I'd really appreciate it if you would stop bringing it up.”

I will put the recipe in the recipe thread in the Sticky area. Yes – I watch my carbs, but I take meds and can have more than if I were controlling totally through my diet/exercise.

Hi Bobbi,

To make your font smaller, hold down control key and tap the minus key. To make bigger, hold down the control key and tap the plus key. My new laptop is VERY sensitive to touch and frequently increases/decreases font size.

I think you are right about the “energy.” Part of it is definitely an attempt to live life to the fullest every moment because I could drop dead/become incapacitated at any time. I just need to remember to rest every once in a while

Hi Freda,

We don’t have elephant ears. We have funnel cakes, kettle corn, and all kinds of fast food stuff in addition to the chicken dinners.

Hi everyone another rainy day here. nothing going on dh dr apt went well,they sent him over to hosp for a speacialized mri,focusing on his bile duct and surg site. also she perscribed another med like a synthetic pancreas enzyme to help digest fats. he feels a little better but dont know exactly whats wrong. waiting for test results and visit to the specialist next week. all the walking to diff aptments yesterday i did with my walker no wheel chair woot woot! my legs were sore that nite but a good feeling. i spent a good share of the morning taking in clothes that are too big one flannel blouse i made last yr was to tight after i made it and now looks like omar the tent maker made it it went in the goodwill bag! i forgot to add that when we went to dinner with mil and family we ran into some folks i hadnt seen in awhile. they kept starring at me and as we were leaving talked to them they were so surprized and me too as they didnt recognize me but did my dh and wondered who his new gal was..they must need glasses but it was a nice nsv hoping you all are having a great day rosey

Ding Dong the witch is dead.....Emily got wiped out by the mountains on Hispaniola. k3

ps Lynn this electric fry pan is hugh....does 8 turkey thighs....made by GE

Good morning (evening now ~ I started this this morning, and it has taken me all day ~ little by little ~ to get it finished ) GG’s,

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. It was a nice day. I spent it with my work family. I had asked one of my friends there ahead of time (I don’t know who plans things) that if there was mention of having a party for me, if she would share with them how I felt about that. Last year they had a party ~ with cake and food and gifts and gift cards. I didn’t feel so bad about the cake and food, but they went over board with the gifts and money. I wished they had not done that ~ times are so hard ~ I felt badly for them to spend money that way. So, I guess the opportunity came about for her to share with them how I felt (I didn’t want to do it myself ~ and have them think I expected a party). I had kind of dreaded going to work that day, but it turned out great ~ there was nothing ~ nobody said anything ~ it was perfect. My wallflower self was very happy with that.

My daughter and family came by last night and brought a small cake, ice cream, a card and flowers. That was a nice supprise.

Yippee ~ day off today. The sun is shining ~ gonna enjoy!!

Lynn ~ I’m glad you are getting a break from the heat. Your couscous dish sounds yummy. Hope you can find a balance in your activities so that you find enjoyment without feeling overwhelmed.

Mary ~ great job being OP all day. Hope you can enjoy the fair ~ I know it must be hard to be faced with all those yummy foods.

NC Nancy ~ glad you only have 5 days left. My thoughts about “her” kind of echoed yours ~ maybe others don’t especially enjoy being around her either and have had enough of her. How are Quill, KoKo and Yum Yum? ~ One of my favorite series

Rosey ~ hope your DH is feeling less grumpy today. How are your puppies doing? What are you reading?

Bobbi ~ how is your dad doing? I think I would feel the same way when my parents get to that point ~ I would hate to see them suffer. Hope you get good news from your MRI.

Mustang Karen ~ if I had a pool and it was as hot as it is where you are ~ you probably couldn’t get me out of the pool

Marie ~ how is the birthday trip going ~ I can just picture you with your hair-a-flying. Hope you’re having a ball.

Donna ~ I can’t remember ~ will your job be full time or part time? And what kind of work was it going to be? Anyway ~ excited for you.

Zoe ~ you are doing well with your boot camp. Way to go. You will look beautiful. Can’t wait to see the outfit you choose. My nephew’s wedding in September ~ they are having it in black and white ~ even the cake. To each his own I guess ~ I like colorful things. My other niece wedding last year ~ the bridesmaids were barefoot ~ I kind of liked that better than my daughter’s wedding where the girls had to wear these killer spike heals that looked so uncomfortable.

Lyn ~ you are doing awesome with the swimming.

Rie ~ your cup of morning coffee and your walk sounded so nice. Hopefully those people will stop making the comments that make you uncomfortable.

Freda ~ sorry that you were stuffed up this morning and that the med made you sleepy. Hope you’re feeling better now and can enjoy the rest of your day off.

Tea ~ sorry for the rugged time with watching your son struggle to get better. We won’t give up on you ~ are glad anytime you are able to join in.

Hi Wannabe ~ how are you doing?

Karen FL ~ glad you are feeling better enough to get back to your bridge playing and that your pain is getting less. Hope that your friends ~ being glad to see you again ~ didn’t squeeze you too hard.

Koala-Lou ~ Enjoyed your e-mail virus list ~ I can identify with several of those.

Hello to Teati, Sherry and anyone else I’ve forgotten (it’s not intentional).

It has turned out to be a nice day. Maddie was here for a little while ~ that is always fun. Now Corbin is here ~ he is watching Glee ~ fun to share with him things he likes.

Hope you all have had a nice day. Back to work tomorrow ~ the day off goes by too fast.

Take care

Went clothes shopping for myself...a fairly rare thing for me. I bought three pairs of shoes (couldn't decide) and one purse and a pair of jeans. The shoes and purse are for my going to my gd's wedding Sat. I can take back the ones I don't want. The jeans were just an impulse buy and turned out to be too short when I sit down so they are going back to the store for sure.

My problem is I still can't decide which shoes match my dress the best...I think probably the cheapest pair which I like the least. This is a casual wedding as far as I know. My dress is a light-weight knit and is brown covered with white. The white looks like lace but really is just part of the knit. I couldn't find any shoes that actually match the brown but I bought a pair of beige strappy wedgie sandals (cheap, not real comfortable but wearable for short time), a pair of cream colored flats (kinda expensive for me, a little bit shiny but probably no one will notice except up close, cute, and pretty comfortable even with a pointy toe. The other pair is a white open toed flat with straps on the toe area and a kind of braidy (but not cloth) looking strap that goes along the side. Hard to explain but they are cute and they fit great, very comfortable, also the most expensive. Just not sure they go with the dress ok because they are so white and while this dress has the white all over the brown like I described above it gives the appearance of being more beige than white plus it also has a brown round "buckle" that the dress fabric loops through to make a tie in front. It's not a drab brown more like translucent but not really see through. That's why I'm not sure about the white shoes with the dress. I don't want to wear really brown shoes though as the dress has a spring or even summer feel despite the brown and I think a real brown would make it look less so. I might be able to remove the ring and just tie the dress in front, not sure how that would look, just thought of that.

My dh prefers the cheap shoes and I agree they probably match the best, but I don't like them very well. The bag I have right now is brown leather...it's cute and looks ok with the dress even though it doesn't match perfectly but if I wear the cream color shiny shoes and esp the white shoes.. I'm not sure that will look good. If I wear the white, I probably should buy a white bag? I don't want to spend a lot of money. What to do... Why is this so easy for my dh...he will just wear his Filipino borong tagalag and any nice pair of pants he has, color won't really matter. BTW, except for trying to match up this dress, I like both the expensive shoes, wouldn't you know it!!

Still OP so far today and enough calories left I should be ok this evening. Did a lot of walking while shopping but didn't go to gym.

If you have any thoughts about the dress, let me know. Saturday is coming up quickly. Tomorrow we plan on going early to the fair, having breakfast there...my plan is to eat at most two small pancakes with SF syrup (usually they have it) or a small amount of regular syrup (if they don't) and a small amount of butter. Maybe one strip of bacon and bottled water. We only plan to go through one building where I sign up for drawings, and leave. In the afternoon I have an appointment for a pedicure so we can't stay long. It's more to meet up with others we know and walk around, I agree with you all the food is very high everything...fat, sodium calories, carbs....

I'm tired tonight from all the shopping as I'm not used to it..so no personals this time. Hope everyone is enjoying their evening. BTW, they changed the wedding reception so it is not a potluck...so at least I don't have to plan what to take.

Friday. Counting down…..29 more days. Weigh-in again tomorrow. I haven’t gone over my calorie allowances by so much as a single calorie. VERY hopeful, here, about seeing a few more pounds deleted. Yesterday I FELT slimmer – today I feel bulkier. Go figure. Heat? Nah. It’s only in the high sixties here this morning. It IS very humid. Perhaps I’m retaining some water. Of course, I haven’t yet weighed in for the week, so maybe I’m dithering on for no reason at all. We’ll see tomorrow.
I’ve had a busy week at work – trying to tie up loose ends before starting my “becoming a grandma for the 7th time” vacation week. It’s going to be a busy weekend – I have to clean my house thoroughly tomorrow, grocery shop, and babysit for the twinnies tomorrow night so that dd3 & her hubby can go out to celebrate their wedding anniversary, then the brunch on Sunday, and dd1 & her dd will be staying in our guest room overnight Sunday night in order to be at the hospital with dd2 Monday morning. (We’ll ALL be there, of course – this family clan of ours participates in everything together!) Once Isabella arrives, we should be able to get a little breathing space between visits to the hospital (dd2 will be in for three or four days because of having a C-section).
Mary, I’ve been trying to figure out what to get for shoes, too. I don’t want to buy any and cart them home if I’m not going to keep them, because I’m one of those people who never gets around to taking anything back to the store if I decide I don’t like it, or that it doesn’t fit right, or whatever. Of course, I SHOULD know what I’m wearing for clothes first, shouldn’t I? I’ve GOT to figure that one out sooner, rather than later. I think I’ve been waiting for my *new* body to emerge before deciding on an outfit….Well, fat chance of being as slim and svelte as I envisioned myself when they first set the date. I should’ve gotten into “boot camp” mode then, but kept putting it off. Like that old, old song goes…”…who’s sorry now…?” (ME)
LOVE the blanket project, Rie/Val. I have some friends who knit and/or crochet little caps for the premie babies in the NICUs. And, of course, since I took up crocheting again, I’ve made a sweet little afghan for the new baby, one for dgd’s bed, and am working on one for dd2’s bed. My goal is to make one for all of my (immediate) family members so that even when we’re apart, or I’m no longer around, they can wrap up in one of my afghans, and it’ll be like a hug from me. Once I finish the ones for my family, I think I’ll start making them for domestic violence victims. They certainly can use a hug or two. Thanks for the idea!
Glad you enjoyed your birthday, Gayle. I’m like you – don’t like people fussing over me – but the way your dd handled it was just right. Low key, but loving. I appreciate that way more than a whole lot of hoopla.
Glad you dodged that Emily bullet, K3. How did the bridge game go?
Are you starting work this Monday, PT? I hope you really, really love it – I know they’re going to love you!
You GO, Rosey! Those folks thought your dd had taken up with “another woman”, did they? Hah! Gotta love it.
How're you doing, Lyn? Still swimming and enjoying your summer on the cape? (Wish I was there... )
Freda & Bobbi (and everybody) – now that I’m hearing so much about black being perfectly acceptable at weddings, I’m a little sorry that I so firmly announced that the MOB couldn’t wear it, because I sure would like to. My son and his groomsmen will be in gray tuxes, and the bridesmaid (bride’s sister) and matron-of honor (dd2) are in lavender. My dgd (twinnie’s 9-yo sister) will be the flower girl in purple (I think), and the twinnies, in white linen suits with purple boutonnieres, are the ring bearers. Now, you know THAT’S going to be interesting. I told them they’d better not give them the actual rings, because knowing those boys, they won’t give them up when the time comes. Anyway, I haven’t seen the bridesmaid’s or matron-of-honor dresses, but dd2 tells me that the colors – the gray and lavender/purple work very well together. That will also be the color scheme for the tables and such at the reception, and I believe that the bride’s bouquet will have purple irises and whatever…well, I guess I’ll see, won’t I? I told them to mix in some tiger lilies – the orange is a great contrast for the purple – but I don’t know if they did it or not. Oh, gawd….here I go, starting to get interested in all these foolish details, when I kept telling them to keep it simple. Well, it’s not going to be huge, exactly – somewhat casual, in fact – but still an awful lot of *stuff*.
Hi Lynn – well, I guess you could call all that exercise “me” time, since you’re improving your health by doing it, but my “me” time tends to be far less productive – as in reading a book, or going (alone) to the lake and sitting in the sun/reading for awhile. I just don’t seem to manage to get much time to be by myself, and I really, really need it. My son is the same way. He says he had to “train” his fiancée to plan time each week when they can pursue their own separate interests – he plays basketball; she swims – as well as “alone” time. Apparently it presented some problems in the beginning, but now she’s comfortable with it. Now, if I could only get MY dh to understand and give me some space, I would be a happy camper!
Nancy, I swear, you must be a saint for not saying something to that girl! I mean, it IS your home, and she IS your guest! Being a guest requires some degree of graciousness, does it not? But, of course, she seems ungracious in general, given that she can’t seem to find any friends her own age, either. I think I would’ve had a “Come-to-Jesus” meeting with that child a long danged time ago!
KarenMo ….<blowing my lifeguard whistle>….. c’mon, now! Everybody out of the pool! (PLEASE say that none of those folks made an acceptable offer on the house! Whatever would you do without a pool, for pity’s sake?)
Koala, you still there? Where is my morning read, lady???
Well, enough blither-blathering….have a great day, everyone!
Z

Good morning Everyone,

OK – today is my unscheduled day. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Have a great day,

Lynn

Hi Rosey,

Sounds like your DH and I are having similar symptoms. I have an endoscopy scheduled for mid-August. The ultra-sound of my gallbladder indicated no problems there.

CONGRATULATIONS on doing all that walking !

Hi Donna,

I am sending GOOD/POSITIVE vibes your way. All will be fine!

Hi Karen,

I will go looking for it today. My only reservations are about where to keep it when I’m not using it.

Hi Gayle,

I am just the opposite of you. The more attention the better! I guess it’s the Aries in me.

Hi Rie,

Are you thinking about doing any kind of a walk/run/marathon?

Lynn
Hi Mary,

I DEFINITELY vote for the ones that are most comfortable! I HATE having uncomfortable shoes.

Hi Zoe,

GOOD LUCK for your weigh-in.

My exercise time is VERY pleasant – I make it that way so that I will always want to do it. The total package includes my coffee and protein bar and listening to audio book as I drive to the gym and reading my Nook at the gym – all things I love. However, it is such a habit now that I don’t even think of it as anything special – it’s kind of like brushing your teeth. Also, it is part of my day when I have 6 other things scheduled and part of my day when I have nothing else scheduled.

When I think about scheduling a day just for me, it will absolutely include my gym.