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Hi everyone. I'm up late on weather watch, so I thought I would make a quick post since it has been so long since I last posted. Texaslady, thanks for worrying about me after last Saturday's tornado. It was definitely in my "part of the world." They are now saying it was an F4 tornado and it hit the neighborhood that my brother used to live in until a couple of years ago. It is only about four to five miles from me. About 60 homes were completely demolished...nothing left but the foundations...and there were two deaths. These were big, expensive homes, so I know that my little house wouldn't have stood a chance...and I was upstairs asleep when it hit...not a good place to be. Thankfully, a lot of people were out of town for Thanksgiving or there would probably have been many more deaths. The people also had about a twenty minute warning after the sirens went off so they were able to seek shelter...such as it was. I guess with an F4 tornado there really isn't anywhere to go. We live outside the city limits and you can only hear the sirens if you are outside listening for them. I didn't even know what had happened until a friend called about 6:30 am to make sure we were okay. After being in that tornado when I was driving back from Gulf Shores last spring, I had hoped not to be around them anymore, so now I think I will be a little anxious for awhile...like tonight. God's hand was everywhere last Saturday, and some amazing stories have emerged. One family hid in their laundry room and it was the only room left...and the same thing for another family who were in a hall closet. One of the deaths was a young woman from Dallas who was home visiting her parents for the holiday. The other was a young mother who was seven months pregnant. She lost her baby after going into premature labor and she is still in critical condition. Her little three year old daughter was ripped from her arms and they found her unhurt on the other side of a lake. She was crying that she was cold and wanted her mother and her doll. Her mother was on the opposite side of the lake screaming for her daughter and all of her clothes had been stripped off her. A lot of women were all alone, including the woman I was just talking about, because Thanksgiving is a big hunting weekend around here. Lots of husbands were off at deer camp or hunting camps. Another woman was home alone with her three daughters. She has survived a double brain aneurysm (sp?) and cervical cancer...and now this, but she was still giving thanks...as were so many people.

I didn't mean to go on and on about what happened. I guess watching all the weather alerts on TV right now is bringing everything back.

Jan, please give your dad belated birthday wishes for me. I'm so glad the party turned out so well...but how could it not with you at the helm. I agree with JOYce...I know you looked beautiful in that dress!

JOYce, I hope your dgd in the service is safe and sound. Tim's (Krysten's boyfriend) brother was just shipped off a couple of days ago, but he can't tell us where he went. He was stationed in Germany. He was anxious to go. He was able to say that he was going somewhere safe and somewhere there were a lot of troops, but I can't imagine where it would be.

It is starting to thunder more and there is more lightening...so I had better turned this laptop off. I'll try to post more later in the week...and will try to be a little more cheerful!!

Take care everyone...and be safe!

Janet (Kudzu)

P. S. I'm proud of all of you who have been doing so well weight-wise. I didn't go overboard over Thanksgiving, but I've definitely been eating way too much.

Good morning everyone. I can't believe it's Thursday already!
Gosh, I hear about the nasty weather everyone's been having (tornados, snow in Texas) and I can't believe how lovely it's been here. Yesterday we were in the mid 70's, setting a record for the date. Other than pretty thick fog the past few mornings, it has been absolutely beautiful!!
Janet, it's good to hear from you, and I'm so glad you escaped any effects from the terrible tornado! How frightening that must have been! I guess it's a miracle there weren't more deaths, although any is too many.
Joyce, my move will be in May when the people renting my place starting in January leave. I'm glad you got your flu shot- you don't need to get sick again!!!You ceramics project sounds great- hope you'll share pictures of it when you are done.
Texaslady, with all your cold weather, did you get any of the snow? I think I heard that it was mostly Dallas-Fort Worth area, but I'm not sure. Have you seen the wedding proofs? I'll bet they are spectacular! What a job it will be to choose!
Jan, I'm so glad the party for you dad went well- not that I'm surprised, knowing your considerable skills as a hostess!!! How long will your dad be in Florida with your sister? I'm glad you were able to wear the dress you wanted to- I'll bet you knocked their eyes out!

My poor little sweetie has a nasty cold, and by last evening it moved into his asthma. Doing a nebulizer treatment on him is not a picnic- he hates it, and he's a strong little guy- dsil can bearly hold him. But he needed the neb while dsil was fixing dinner, so I volunteered to help, and got him in the nurse's "toddler hold" on my lap and we did fine. He slept well last night. Poor little guy- I hate to see him sick. When we were done he wanted to go to dd, but he leaned over and gave grandma a big kiss- like he was saying "it's ok, grandma- I know you were holding me like that to help me". Bless his little heart. After she got little Gary to bed, dd was instructing dsil in the fine art of grandma's "toddler hold" for the next time they need to give him a neb when I'm not there. These respiratory episodes can be so scarey. Just 2 weeks ago some friends of theirs almost lost their 18 month old to croup- he totally stopped breathing, was on life support for 24 hours and in the hospital for 8 days.
Gosh, look at the time- I've got to go. Have a good day, everyone.
Carol

Janet, whew, just four miles away from an F4 tornado ... how awful. I am so glad you and yours are ok. What an amazing story about the child by the lake; thank heavens she survived. I hope her mother recovers soon. How did last night's storm go? It closed parts of I-10 north of us, and it's snowing less than an hour away, but I don't think we reached freezing here. I guess my plants will tell me by tonight; I didn't get many of them inside last night.

Carol, sorry to hear your little sweetie is having asthma problems again; I'm sure your DD is so grateful to have you there to treat him! Are you going to work this weekend again at a flu clinic? Re: Dad, he'll be in Florida until early January, when we'll go pick him up.

JOYce, I hope your dgd's root canal goes well, and that she rests afterward instead of going to soccer practice! What determination she must have! Re: the storm, we missed the worst of it here; sure hope Janet didn't get the brunt of it, and that Texaslady isn't having to drive on icy roads. I'm not sure how her part of I-10 was affected, but north of us, it's shut down until noon, with four inches of ice!

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!
Regards,
Jan

or I guess it is more !!
I went to ceramics last night to find that someone had been in my locker, my new block of clay is gone! Only cost! $4.50, but it is the principle, and when they took it, they shoved my 'masterpiece' against the side, and knocked a bunck of vines and leaves off the back of her head! grrrrr!!! Some teens have 'continuation class' in there on tues nite, bless their little hearts, guess someone needed the clay. I'm making a quick run over there on my way to Meals on wheels this morning to attach a lock to my locker. I repaired my piece, but is not as wonderful as once was... Would you believe that I actually bought the lock yesterday, but forgot to take it last night.....kinda like locking the barn door behind the stolen horse!

But listen to me grumble when you gals in the south are freezing and geting blown away!!! Yikews!! talk about weather!! Janet , so glad you are o.k.!!

Carol, I know your dd is glad to have you there to help with the sick little sweetie! Bless his little heart! How sweet of him to give you a big gma kiss before going back to mom!

I better get to getting, so I can get that lock on and meet Linda on time!!

Oh my gosh, Janet, I was horrified as I read your message about the tornado which came through so close to you. Even now I can feel my heart beating a little faster. I am so glad that you are all right. It is good to hear from you; don't give up on the weight loss. I have finally come to the place where I can do this without stress or grief. I am back down to goal and owe it to eating only when I am hungry and stopping when I get full, for one thing (sounds lame, but it worked for me). Also, I am not writing everything I eat down anymore. It got too tedious. So I eat responsibly, if I overdo a little, I make it up by eating less, or lower point foods the next day or at the next meal.



Jan, congrats for getting into the party dress. Glad to read that your Dad's birthday party was such a success. You are indeed a Very Good Daughter.

Carol, I was sad to read that your little sweetie had an asthma attack as a result of his bad cold. I am so thankful that you were there so you could teach dsil how to do the proper "hold," and my eyes stung with tears when I read that little sweetie gave you a kiss afterwards to sort of say "I forgive you, Grandma!" What a joy he must be to you.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Wow, it sure has been quiet in here!

Linda, kudos to you for getting back down to goal! You really have a handle on this whole thing, it's clear to see. I'm still having to journal when I feel things are not going well (like after this weekend, in Mexico!) but I'm also noticing some changes in behavior like you described.

JOYce, so sorry to hear about the theft, and especially that your masterpiece was damaged! How maddening! I'm glad you were able to repair most of the damage, though, and hope you'll post a picture of it when it's finished.

Dh and I went to Mexico for the weekend, and in spite of the (not predicted!) rain and cold, had a good time. Compared to past trips, we were pretty good re: eating and drinking, but far from perfect, so it's back to the journal for me!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I hear the weather's lovely up your way, Carol!

Regards,
Jan

Hi everyone. Didn't realize I had been awol so long til I logged back in! The days pass so fast - does everyone else agree? I pedal faster and faster only to go backwards!

Well, we didn't get any snow or ice from our weather last week. Of course, this past 4 or 5 days its been back in the 70's and was in the 8o's today. Go figure. And we are a week into December already. I did get my Christmas tree up last week-end - took half the day! Now that dd has her own house to decorate, she isn't very interested in helping me. They did come by and get the Christmas boxes out of my attic but I was left on my own after that. They didn't stay long enough to put up my outside lights (and it was really cold that day) so I guess there won't be any this year. I did put my traditional red velvet bows around all the trees in my front yard. Perhaps I can find one of those outdoor spotlights to shine on the trees at night. That's something I could handle by myself!

Janet - So glad you escaped the tornado - again! I just knew it was close to where you live. You have had some close calls this past year with the wicked weather. So thankful you and yours have been spared......... When does your dd come home for the holidays? Should be soon, I think. It will feel strange having her home again. Just as we get used to them being gone, they reappear. But when they come back home, they have a strange notion that the rules have changed and are much more lax after they have been away on their own for a while!!

Jan - I am so pleased that everything went well with your T-Day and your Dad's party. What a blessing it is to have him so thrilled with the party and that he is up to handling all the attention of his birthday. But I KNOW that your life is missing a large piece when he is not there since you are so close - in love AND in distance! Glad you and DH got to Mexico for the week-end. Did you stay in that lovely hotel by the border again? We have got to all go there again some day. And congrats on getting to wear that wonderful new dress and the necklace. The jewelry you showed us when we were there was fastastic. Your sister is very talented.

Joyce - Sorry about the break-in at your locker. But typical of you to take the notion that "someone must have needed the clay"! I bet your Garden Goddess will emerge well - after all, she is a constant creation!

Linda - You really do have the right attitude about staying at goal. I know that you will continue to be successful because now you have learned what works for you. We are all different and it takes a while to figure out our own eating patterns. And bless you for seeing to those in need on T-Day!

Carol - How's that sweet baby?? I hope he's feeling better now. It hurts us a LOT more than it hurts them when we have to do something for their own good! And I believe that little Gary knows that - that toddler kiss said so! You know, May seems so far away right now, but it will be here quickly. Do you still have feelers out for a job in Florida? I am sure you will find something - good nurses appear to be in demand everywhere. I plan to get my flu shot next week - I will actually have a couple days off. Don't have to have an appointment at my dr office, but he does have to be there and he is out of town this week on his annual skiing vacation. DD is just getting over what she thought was a cold but was diagnosed as severe allergy. Dr gave her steroid pills but she still feels crummy. Our weather just hasn't been cold enough to kill any of the offending plants. And the mold count has literally been off the charts this past week.

The wedding pictures are amazing! Problem is, there are hundreds of images and it is SO HARD to choose. I get 30 prints in my parent album and I finally "narrowed" it down to 34 ! I have a lot of them scanned in and will try to post them on the picturetrail site soon. I will let you know when. The kids get to choose 96 4x5 prints and 34 8x10 prints for their album. THAT should be enough for almost anyone!

Gotta go. West Wing is about to come on and I try not to miss it. I just love that show. Everyone have a great Thursday.

Texaslady, I wonder why West Wing was a rerun last night? It was delightful to see Mrs. Landingham, though....

DD was over today to make her signature Christmas toffee -- I got to be with her for seven hours and I am still floating about six inches above the floor. What a great day! We managed to make eight batches, we had so much fun. Life is good.

Good morning everyone! Sorry to be away so long- the days seem to fly by.
We have been having the most beautiful spring weather! A few of the cherry blossom trees are even bloomimg! Yesterday we were in the upper 70's- virtually unheard of for this time of year. I love it! They say temps will get more "normal" (40's) over the weekend.
Jan, I'm glad you enjoyed Mexico. I was just talking the other day about that wonderful restaurant we ate in on our visit with you. You are really going to miss having your dad with you for the holidays, but I know your sister is enjoying having him there. I'm not sure what's going on while I'm in Florida 12/26 to 1/7, but your sister gave me her phone number- if I can find it, maybe I'll try to give her a call while I'm there and stop by to say hello to your dad if time and schedules permit. He's such a dear!
Joyce, I'm sorry about your locker break in. It is sad that some people have no respect for the property and efforts of others. People like that are to be pitied, I supose. I know your masterpiece will ultimately be just as good if not better when it's redone!
Texaslady, is your email adress still the same since you changed jobs? I wasn't sure if that was a personal email or work- just sent you something. If it's changed, will you send it to me? It sounds like your weather was more like ours should be and vice versa! I put up a big tree the first year I was living alone with the help of a friend who insisted I have one. Then after I had to take it all down myself, and would have had to put it up myself the next year, I gave it up. I did buy a little 3 foot tree with fiberoptic lights and ornaments that rotates- Gary loves it. I pulled it out of the box and plugged it in. Most of my decorations (including the little tree I had the past few years) are not to be found- don't know if they ended up in Florida (doubt it) or if dsil stuffed them heaven knows where or pitched them as I was in the moving process. Not that I need much in just one room, but I wanted a few special family things around. I did find one or 2 small items that survived the move. I'm planning to drop my resume at some offices when I'm in Florida in January- you never know. There's an office of 4 allergists near my house- boy, would I love to get lucky and have them need a nurse by spring! I do love working with allergy/asthma. Speaking of asthma, little sweetie is fine- he cheerfully waved "bye-byes" to his nebulizer after the required 3 days of treatments. He hates that thing, but he was real good with it this time. Can't wait to see your other pictures.

Speaking of pictures, dd just got back their Xmas pictures they had taken at the photographer. They turned out great- I'll try to scan them into my easy photo album this weekend- of course, I never got around to doing the Halloween pictures yet! I was comparing his picture this year with the one last year at the same photographer- it's amazing how much he's changed! He's lost that baby look altogether. He's still grandma's little snugglebug, though!
Laides, I've got to run. Hi to all. Have a great day.
Carol

Linda, we were posting at the same time. Christmas toffee? Sounds wonderful!! By the way, what are you doing up at this hour- or are you just a California night owl?
Carol

Carol, just sent you an email w/ds's contact info; how sweet of you to think of stopping by! Dad and ds would love that. Glad to hear you're enjoying the weather; hope it holds up for a while longer. Like Texaslady said, we're downright summery here!

Linda, the toffee-making with your dd sounds like such fun; do y'all do that every year? It sounded like a tradition. Are y'all planning to do Christmas dinner together too? I thought of you this week, as I worked to undo the high-point damage of our Mexico trip; you are such an inspiration, staying at goal and stopping any gains before they get out of hand.

Texaslady, so glad the pictures turned out great! I'm sure it's hard to choose. The red bows on the trees sound lovely; I think a spotlight would look great on them. re: Mexico, La Posada was full, but we stayed at a place nearly as close to the bridge (that high-rise round building) and got a little more walking in that way! Found another great restaurant in Mexico that had new (and healthy) dishes like mushrooms flambeed in brandy and chicken tacos steamed inside banana leaves. And yes, we all *have* to go back there some day! The shopping is so much fun. This time I found a great little turtle pin (kind of a symbol for me, as my weight loss journey took so long!) designed like an Indian symbol, with amber in the center.

Had a little victory on my morning walk/jog today. Have had a mini-goal, since building back strength after my surgery, to be able to keep pace with a particular song (Lyle Lovett's "Preacher") all the way through, and today I finally did it!

Hope everyone's having a great Thursday! Hi to Janet, Elaine, JOYce, Saara, and anyone I may have missed..

Regards,
Jan

Good morning...not a lot to report from here...just "getting ready to get ready". I had a fun day on Tuesday,Christmas shopping with 9 yr old dgd who spent a day with us. yesterday, I went back to purchase the things that she had indicated the greatest desire for. This one is 'into' horses , so was easy, just needed to see which ones she wanted the most.
Eldest dgd confirmed yesterday that she will not be going with us on our big Xmas trip, so we won't have the whole 4 generation family as dreamed of. but we will have a dog/house sitter.
"Que sera`"
Jan, the food you found in Mexico sounds yummy!
I took some fish out of the freezer yesterday and marinated it in Lawreys Lemon pepper marinade. DELISH!! Next time I will try the Lime flavored one, not sure if it is Lawreys or not...but sounds good.
Still waiting for my 'masterpiece' to be fired. Hope she makes it! I already have ideas for her sister. It seems that she has been an inspiration to others in the class, I hear ideas rumoring thru the group....such fun!
I need to go clean a fish bowl! I got this betta fighting fish in the vase with a plant in the top, for dgd for Xmas, so I have to maintain it til then. not to mention keeping it hidden!!! he is on the desk near my computer, and am really loving him, he is so pretty, I told dh that the kid might not get him after all!

now I'm, rambling!!!
bye for now!

Good evening, all!

Carol, yes, dh and I stay up reallllly late. We went to bed at about 2 this morning. We love staying up late then sleeping late the next morning. We are very blessed that we can do it; no other responsibilities, and our friends and family know not to call til after noon! Such slugabugs.

Jan, the Christmas toffee is a tradition for dd; she started making it about three years ago. She is really good at it, and I am blessed that she lets me get in her way when she makes it. We have a very long counter in our kitchen (about 14' long), so we get to really spread out all of the stuff when we work. We put in a "Seinfeld" tape and talked and giggled our way all through the process. And yes, dh and I are hosting Christmas dinner, there will be about 9 people here, not a very big group. I'm thinking of having a ham, I don't want to make turkey.

We had the best dinner tonight (and soooo easy!). I put a pound and a half of stew meat into the crock pot along with a package of Lipton dry onion soup and two cans of cream of mushroom soup, and cooked it for several hours. Yum.

Make it a great Friday!

Good morning! I hope everone is looking forward to some fun this weekend! Our weather has been so beautiful, it just makes you want to be outside.
I'm working my last flu clinic today. It's at the local Giant, so at least I don't have to travel. We (my day-job coworker who does the flu campaign with me) have met some really nice people this year- other nurses with similar ages, interests and work ethics, etc. We've made plans to meet up with a couple of them for dinner on a regular basis if possible. But, I'm still really glad it's over- I'm geting too old for this 2 job stuff, even temporarily, it seems! Or at least my body seems to think so.
Jan, thanks for the info you emailed me- and I just LOVE the picture of your dad!!! The new restaurant you found in Mexico sounds wonderful. I hope we all get to go there some day with you!
Joyce, it's too bad your dgd won't be making the trip with you all for Xmas- I know how much you were looking forward to having everyone together. But there is something to be said for having a dogsitter ! I'm sure the dog will prefer it! Your recipe sounds delicious. I used to do something similar in the oven with a beef roast, mushroom soup, and Lipton's onion soup mix. Haven't done it for years.
Texaslady, is the picture selection a done deal yet? Can't wait to see them!
Linda, you and I are definitely opposites on the sleep spectrum! Me the lark and you the owl. I consider myself "sleeping in" if I don't wake up till 7 AM! I can't even imagine sleeping till noon!

Well, I'd better go. There's no heat in the room where my computer is, and my fingers are starting to turn blue ! Hi to everyone I missed, and I have a great weekend.
Carol