Good morning ladies! Cloudy and cool right now. We are supposed to get rain this morning. Jack said it was foggy this am so I told him to take the suv because it has fog lights and the fog is really bad out by the plant. When there is heavy fog you have deer and other critters running across the road sometimes because it is a state park area.

Susan: I guess sometimes we have to substitute health for looks so to speak. I know when my niece was on steroids she got very moon faced and gained weight as I think it is something that just happens to everyone pretty much. Hope it helps with your lung function though. Glad your EKG came back a-ok. I had to have one before I could have my second surgery and it is easy peasy to do, isn't it? I am on my second week and doing fine on program though every week I am giving myself one little treat if I feel like it. Nothing horrible, just maybe a regular cookie or something. In fact, I weighed myself this morning and it shows another lb down but I will wait until Monday for my weigh in as usual.

Jean: For people that can't do the treadmill they do have an all meds method they use. It involves injecting something that makes the heart go faster and they watch you on this monitor. Jack says the nuclear stress test isn't exactly easy but it is something you can deal with. It takes about an hour to do total. He has to have one once a year to keep tabs on his heart and the reroute and such. He just had one a couple months ago and came out excellent with scar tissue to the heart muscle from the heart attack which was expected, but no build up in any arteries, which was our biggest concern of course. He was so scared to go bless his heart. The last stress test they did is when they found the blockage and he had to have surgery. I told him not to look for problems. I cracked up that your gossip giver has been lacking at card club. You guys must be a couple pints low on gossip then...

Guess I better get going. I am having whole wheat mini bagels, ff cream cheese and an orange for breakfast. Tonight is whole wheat chilimac with gr sirloin and lunch is chicken quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas. Mostly fruit for snacks today. Should be getting lots of fiber today! lol

Have a good one. Wonder if T is having fun out to sea?
Faye

Good morning, ladies. Still umbrella weather and nippy. The paper says we have had 2 inches of rain since last Friday but it is still short by 3 inches of where we should be. At this rate, we'll have water restrictions again this summer.

I had a good time at applique quilting bee last night. Tomorrow night is another bee. Then I have no organized quilting until April 7, so 2 weeks off! Maybe I can get some of my own quilting done for a change.

Jean, there are several types of stress test. They measure how hard you heart is squeezing during activity. An EKG measure how your heart beats and is usually done resting. Stan had the stress test that was all done with meds since he couldn't walk on a treadmill. Jack will be wanting to get to farming if you continue to have nice weather in your part of the world.

Faye, I'm glad you mentioned your breakfast. I bought some lox (smoked salmon) and forgot to get bagels. I like those mini Thomas bagels. I have some WW cream cheese in the individual tubs. Yummy breakfast, or maybe lunch, tomorrow.

I'm making corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots for supper tonight. I'll be eating it for awhile. I got the smallest one they had and it was still 2+ pounds. Guess I'll be freezing some. Corned beef hash would be good, too.

Have a good day!

Susan: Just thinking about Jack doing farming is hilarious! I can't get the man to trim my bushes in the yard! I think you meant Bob! Though Jack in overalls might be cute!

Morning ladies! We are going to have another beautiful day here today then rain tomorrow. The temps are in the 70's so it is nice and warm outside.

Susan: Are you a good Irishman fixing corn beef and cabbage on St Paddy's Day? I usually buy a roast and cut it in half for us as it is always too much. I used to just cook the smallest one I could find but then was throwing out a lot of food so I started cutting roasts in half. I do that with hamb rolls and other prepackaged meats that have several pieces in them. It is a pain to have to come home and rewrap stuff, but otherwise it ends up in the garbage disposal and that wastes a lot of $$. The commissary doesn't provide much for the two person family so it is hard to find packages with let's say, two pork chops, or a small sirloin.

Jean: Hope Bob can get his computer problems squared away. Wonder why he seems to have problems when others are not? Is Bob a pretty good cook or does he make real simple stuff? Jack likes to cook but has to be in the mood I think. He has stuff he doesn't "allow" me to do, like peel potatoes or chop onions. He doesn't like the way I do it. I cut my onions longway then chop from there and he cuts his like you would for onion slices and chops them. You end up with the same but it is one of his picky things. He thinks I peel off too much potato when I peel. I use mostly the refrigerated premade mashed potatos and I am not a big potato fan anyway, but I do enjoy homemade mashed potatoes once in awhile. I make hamburger gravy every once in awhile with ground sirloin and ff beef broth and like fresh potatoes with that.

I am stuggling abit with getting hungry during the day but try to keep it level by having an extra piece of fruit instead of something higher in fat or such. I know my fiber level has gone way up and that keeps my colon in good shape which is a big concern of course.

Have a good Wednesday today. I am going to try and walk the dogs again today as it is going to be really nice.
Faye

Good morning, ladies! We had pea soup fog this morning. Faye, you keep sending your weather my way so how about some Spring weather! Actually the sun is out now.

Faye, you're right, I meant Bob. Got the menfolk mixed up. My grandmother was Irish. Her grandparents came here during the potato famine. Have you tried the refrigerated Simply Potatoes? They are great - all peeled and ready to cook any way you like. I don't like frozen potatoes but the Simply Potatoes you can't tell from those you peel yourself. I love those Reynolds bags with the vacuum sealer. I take my chicken breast or pork chops and wrap them individually in Press and Seal, then bag them in the Reynolds bags. I can take out just one and reseal it. I cup up roasts, too. The stores around here don't accommodate the smaller family.

Jean, is Bob getting ready to start farming? Let me suggest he get an electrician in to check out his outlet and/or get a new surge protector if he hasn't already. We had a computer blow up twice because of a faulty outlet.
I'd rather have a stress test than a colonoscopy!

Maggie, glad to have you back! I enjoyed the description of how you make your glass houses. I hope you had a nice steak in Texas. That place has some really good beef.

I have my quilting bee tonight and my friend and I are going to Ruby Tuesday before. We both love the Taliapa there. I get broccoli and cauliflower with it.

I took my third dose of Prednisone this morning. The scale is up just 1 pound since I'm really being careful of what I eat. I feel like I could eat from the time I get up until I go to bed. I have to call the doctor today to let her know how I'm doing. I haven't really noticed much change.

My old boss from General Tire called me last night. She is 86 years old and still sharp as a tack and going strong. She was so excited. Her doctor recommended her for a geriatic program and they came Monday and filmed her. They did her makeup and she had 2 blouse changes. She'll be on billboards, tv, radio and the internet. I can't wait to see it. She's got a lot of health problems, in a wheelchair due to brittle bones, heart, kidneys, had 2 mastectomies, but she is the president of the residents' committee, volunteers 3 days a week to help the "old people". She wanted me to promise her I would stay active and at home as long as I could.

Well, that's about it for today. Have a good one.

I just spoke with the doctor and my thyroid is off again (what's new) and my stress test is Tuesday morning. But what I wanted to tell you is my Vitamin D is very low. She said they are finding most of their patients are deficient in Viatamin D. It is linked to weight gain and obesity. I take Calcium + D but she said we can rarely get enough from food or over the counter meds. I will be taking a prescription supplement once a week for the next 6 months and then we will recheck. In addition, I was told to spend 15 minutes in the sun in the early morning or late afternoon with no sun block.

So, I want to encourage all of you to request a Vitamin D test next time you go to the doctor. Normal range is 33 - 100. Mine is 14.

Good morning ladies. Well, I imagine Thomas has been eating his fill of those late night buffets if anyone has the strength to go with him every night. I can't wait to see his pictures of his trip. His doggy is doing right fine and seems to have settled right down staying here with no problems at all.

Maggie: Have fun with your glass work. I am busy trying to get those placemats done.

Susan: Though my dad was dutch his family had all died when I was born so my mom's family was much more of an influence and my grandpa was German. I grew up eating Sauerbraten, sauerkraut, strudel, noodles, the "wursts" and stuff like that. Not diet food that's for sure except the sauerkraut. I love that kind of food and when we go to Vegas, they have a big Hofbrauhaus and we go there and eat or go and just have drinks and their big pretzels. My sister married a Hungarian so I love chicken paprikash and the area I grew up in has a huge middle European community of Poles, Hungarians, Germans and the like. Big meat eaters, not fish that's for sure. I buy either the Target brand of mashed potato or Simply Potatos. I also buy the Simply Potato hash browns. They do so much better than the frozen kind.

Jean: Look in your refrigerated section where butter, biscuits, eggs, that kind of stuff is and you may see the Simply Potatos stuff. That's where ours are always at. They are packaged in green with yellow writing on it. A container feeds 2-4 people with just a bit left over so that works out great for two people. Bob could definitely do mashed potatos this way! Jack is a mean grilled cheeser though he puts too much cheese on. One slice is plenty for me and I even eat the ff stuff, but Jack like the Bordan's American cheese that is not only thicker slices but saltier and of course fatter. He will use two slices on a grilled cheese. Luckily, it is a treat he doesn't make but once in awhile. He does a decent job with burgers and steaks though there isn't much to doing mine as I am a big rare steak eater. We keep planning on taking a cooking class together at the local cooking school down the road, but we have yet to try and get in. Jack would really like to do cake decorating, but between you and me it is probably to learn to make professional buttercream icing more than anything! The man does like his frosting.

I saw that Natasha Richardson died of her injuries from a ski accident. Come to find out she was on a beginner's trail taking a private lesson when it happened. I knew that she was Liam Neeson's wife and Vanessa Redgrave's daughter and knew her face but couldn't place her. Then I read it and knew right away. She played Lindsay Lohan's mother in the reworked movie, "The Parent Trap." So sad. I don't think people realize how dangerous snow skiing can be.

Well gals, guess I will pick my menu for the day and get my chores started. Have a great day all and I know you are looking forward to the weekend. Susan, you should be getting our beautiful weather now.....
Faye

Good morning, ladies! Faye, we got your beautiful spring weather. Hope it stays. Tomorrow is the first day of spring.

Ladies, you are lucky with what your husbands cook. Being a chef, my husband's cooking was usually calorie laden and peppered with "Why don't we have any ......?" He didn't cook at home often since he got plenty of it at work. Fortunately, he'd eat just about anything.

The Prednisone is starting to kick in and I'm breathing a little better. My prescription for Vitamin D is 50,000 IU once a week for 6 months, then we'll see where I am and try to taper the dose. I take Calcium +D, eat cheese and dairy, 3-4 servings every day but it just isn't enough. Now that its warmer, I'll make sure to get out in the sun every day.

Faye, it's too bad they don't take movies of Thomas enjoying all the food. I'll bet he's keeping them on their toes. I'd like to take a cooking class in healthy cooking. We have a cooking school for children in the neighborhood but nothing for adults.

Jean, it's sounds like you have projects lined up for more than one year. It's good to stay busy and get out with others. That's my philosophy for a long life.

Maggie, hi!

Good morning ladies. It is back to being a bit cool today but I haven't looked to see exactly how high we will get today. Jack and I are going to have a date night and go to dinner and to see "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts. He said he wanted to see it which surprised me. I never mentioned a word because it is really a chick flick. Oh well, he will find that out on his own tonight! lol

I am almost finished with the third placemat and ordered some napkins that I hope will match the colors. I have had a devil of a time finding ones I could buy individually that weren't 6-7$ apiece, which I think is outrageous. I found them online finally for $2 apiece so I ordered two in each color. I just hope the colors come out ok. It is always a toss up when it comes to matching stuff on your computer with the real color.

I didn't sleep again last night so I am going to get back in the recliner and take a nap. Marty wouldn't let me sleep upstairs as he wanted his breakfast and I guess since I have been feeding him thinks only I can do it. He kept nudging me in the bed so I just came downstairs and fed him.

Have a good weekend gals! Hope your weather is nice. Oh and ps, my azalea bush has about 20 blooms this year, the most every.

Faye

Good morning, ladies, and happy first day of Spring! The sun is out and its warm today. I just took the trash to the curb. Yuck!

The lab that is doing my stress test just called to confirm the appointment and I am having a nuclear stress test so that 2-3 hours and didn't sound like fun. I'm just glad I'm breathing better because I was worried about the exercise part.

Jean, it's a shame about "Hopeless" but she surely isn't contributing anything positive to the school. We have a lady in out quilt guild who has no social skills. Everyone tries to avoid her. I feel sorry for her, but everytime I try to talk to her she starts in on her ex-husband and all her ailments then she moves on to complaining (in a loud voice) about other people in the guild.

Faye, I know spring is here - I saw my first dandelion yesterday. Guess I'll switch out the closets next weekend and get the summer clothes out. I long to wear sandals and put the shoes and socks away until winter.

Maggie, rotten glass is a concept I'll have to mull over for awhile. It sure is nice we all have hobbies we are so dedicated to. It keeps the hand out of the cookie jar.

Well, I have to get busy and get a little cleaning done so I can quilt this afternoon and plan WW menus this evening.
Have a good day!