Hope everybody had a good Mother's Day. I did ... it was tiring but good. We went out to eat with the kids after church then to hubby's moms. I think she is getting early stages of Alzheimer's disease. She's in her 80s and is still in really good health but has been pretty forgetful lately.

Has anybody else been hurting worse than usual? I've been in terrible pain. I know Candice is hurting but that's probably from all the outside work! I did a lot of cleaning Saturday but I don't think this is from cleaning. I'm just suffering. I wake up in the middle of the night hurting so bad I can't sleep AFTER I HAVE TAKEN A TYLENOL PM! We're supposed to be getting scattered showers and thunderstorms so the weather may figure into it.

I don't know how in the world I'm doing this (and I'm not complaining at all) but listen to this. I ate out Friday for lunch at Red Lobster (coconut shrimp) then again Friday night (catfish and hushpuppies at the boatdock), Sat. night, Sun. for lunch at Ryan's and Sun. night at Shoney's yet I still lost another 1/2 when I weighed this morning and I lost a pound last week. I'm telling you, something has happened to me since I stopped dieting! I look at eating a whole new way now. I'm trying to eat more protein of course because my blood is so low but other than that I'm just eating whatever I want and I'm finding that if I do that I don't want as much because I know I can have food whenever I want it ... I'm not depriving myself ... does that make sense or am I nuts? I had dessert twice over the weekend and STILL lost weight! Before, I would have pigged out on everything but now it only takes a small amount to satisfy me because I know I can have more anytime I want it ... it's always going to be there! Food just isn't that important anymore since I figured that out. Weird!

Meme- Sounds like you have something good going for you.. I would like to say that I am eating all I want and still losing weight. I have to watch everything and walk too. I am striving for 15 miles ,at least, aweek..I will be lucky if I make 12 miles
The weather will make me hurt more than usual. Right now I would be glad to see a rain shower. We need rain badly.It is the dry time of the year here.
I am glad you had a nice mothers day. I did also..My son took me out in the gulf on his boat. We stayed about half the day. It was really hot and the love bugs are here now. I never realized they would be that far out in the water.We cooked out for supper.
Hello everybody...Joanne

Glad you gals had a nice Mother's Day! I slept and DH went with his mom......

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The cookie recipe was wonderful!!!!!!! Good thing it only made 12 cookies!


Butter Pecan Cookies 4pts each

Makes 12 (3 inch cookies); Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 30 minutes
These delicate, buttery cookies, which get their crunchy texture from
toasted pecans and a sugar coating, practically melt in you mouth.

3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until
fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until
light, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down
sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3. Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls.
Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Gently flatten
with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with
sugar.

4. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15
minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Meme..Did you say I was sane!!!!!!!! if I'm pretty active I can eat alot more...the key for me is my activity and we all know with Fibro some times you cannot be very active! I have not used the tredmill since I have been working in the yard. ( I should be, but not enough time or energy).
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Well-I have to get on the scale today from eating in Ny and pay the piper-hey Meme-we had lunch for 68 dollars for 2-duck salad and lemon ribbon ice cream pie-it was awesome-but we must have walked 15 miles and I am not exagerrating-saw Mama Mia-was in the audience for the view-did some shopping. Fun fun fun!!!! And was home by 8 o'clock last night-was great cuz Brad picked me up at bus. It's going to be FL weather all week-love it!!!Going to gyno at 3-we ahve to talk about hormones. Hey Meme-I always ache when AI eat food I have a food sensitivity to like wheat and milk-my aunt aches from red dye 40-Bye for now Mima

Yikes-I had IBS half the day-I ate ice cream 2x so maybe it was that-am better today but still bloated-going to try to post a pic from NY-Mima

Mima- IBS takes all the fun out of eating in those expensive places. I heard that eating in NY, in the city, was twice or more than eating anywhere else. I have a niece who lives in Middletown and she goes there often. And tell me, was the food any better?
The scale has not moved this week although I have been pretty careful. Not too many points over. I have been walking almost every day.
How is everyone? We seem to have lost a few. If you are lurking ,join us...Joanne

Hi. Glad you are all doing ok.

Meme - perhaps it is a med you are taking that is helping with the weight??? If not, well, good for you. That is great. I hope it continues.

Joanne - 15 miles a week?? That is so good. Even if you don't lose another pound, your clothes will get loser as you tighten up your muscles.

Candice - those cookies look good. I think you are the cookie monster I suppose you have your yard all planted for the season.

Mima - I am so happy for you that you had a fun trip to New York. That is a place I always wanted to go, and one day I just might get there. Too bad about the IBS, but when we play we seem to pay.

No much going on here. We have had snow showers for the past week and I am about sick of that!! Mother's Day was good. Both my kids were around so that was nice. We also had my son's girlfriends birthday and hubbys to celebrate this past weekend.

I have been battleing this darn fatigue again. Wish it would just go away. I absolutely cannot tolerate it. Would rather have pain!!

Hope you are all enjoying the day. It is nice and sunny here, even if it is cold. It is only in the 30's. I do have to run out and buy a few groceries today.

Since we have only had 5 posts and 61 views, I would like to welcome any of you that would like to join us.

Hi, all. Finally feeling better today. Seems like I have one good day, then a week of less than.....Worked in yard today (in my limited fashion). Just dh and I for Mother's Day which was more than ok since I had seen kids fairly much in prior month and a half.

The pool has been helpful, the shot in the cervical spine seems to have helped there a bit. Like Happy, it's a lot of that darn old fatigue. Plus more of the strange headaches. But today was good albeit too hot for me. Sister and her husband will be visiting tomorrow before they fly back to Alaska on Saturday. Had to increase
dh's Procrit as his H&H were dropping again.

But mostly things are good. Have been exercising (pool, yard work or walking),drinking the old water and eating less. Have dropped 2 lbs since May 1st and yesterday dh called me "baggy pants" as he says they're getting loose again. Good motivation.

Have a good one.

Happy..how do your get your fancy name at the end of your post...do you put in in your profile signiture or just add it everytime?

Rain here...no snow.....Happy you need to move south! Did some mulching today and off to buy flowers tomorrow I think....just lettuce and radishes in my garden so far.

So who is your pick for american idol this time...I like the young one, can't remember her name.

It's either Latoya or Fantasia but then it might be the younger-she has done great for 16. Watch out guys-I am experimenting with a lower hormone dose-half for a week to see if I get symptoms, then if I do, I can boot it up to 3/4 , then back to regular if I need to. Yes, the food was awesome-$68 for lunch, Couldn't send the pic-maybe I will send it to Meme.Since I haven't been walking, I am getting pudgy but haven't gained so the walking needs to come back. Going to work next week-we walk. Can't plant yet where we live-just the pansies. But I did make a garden in front-3 bushes and 4 hostia. We are landscaping but have to wait til they put in the drainage pipes in a week or so. Never a dull moment. Mima

Happy- Nice to hear from you. Yes I guess I have set a goal of 15 miles. That is about half of what I used to walk. I didn't get out yesterday . It started to rain/sprinkle just as I was ready to go.. It lasted long enough to keep me from walking,not long enough though to do any good.I agree with Candice ,You need to come south. There are a lot of people from Can.who visit here every year.
Anagram- Sounds like you have had a bad spell. I hope you continue to feel better. I have had the injections in my back too. It seems to take a while before they really kick in. Walking will make your back stronger. Walk in the pool .It will makie it easier,walking in water. I have thought of going to the beach and doing that.I live just over a mile from the Gulf of Mexico.
Candice- I don't dare make your cookies. My will power is low. I got 2 gardenia plants this week. Now I have to find the best place to put them..
Mima- Get out there and walk. It is getting hot now.. I will probably use the treadmil more in the summer. It is just too hot somedays to do it outside. It is cooler once I reached the beach but between here and there is a killer in the summer heat.
Meme- Hello and take care of yourself.. I wish I could eat out more often and not gain weight. We will eat out this weekend. I have a gift cert. that I have been holding on to since December. Our son will go with us to help spend it down.
Ally- How are you?Take care and be happy
Bye you all, Joanne

Wow, this is weird. Just found my log in password stuff under my keyboard here at work and thought I would sneak a peak, and there is your greeting to me Joanne. So glad you haven't forgotten me. It is harder to get to this at work. I have almost given up on AOL. And as it gets hotter I don't even go in the computer room at night. WALKING. I think I am almost back to my prewinter weight. As soon as the snow was off the sidewalks, I got my Daisy out there every night. I do an hour after work. I also walk for twenty minutes on my break. We walk by the jail where the men are so desperate they whistle
Both my kids are still home but we are all adults now. My man is still in my life (Mark) and we see each other when he does not have his own kids. He is just signing a year's lease on an apt so we have another year of this kind of intermittent dating and I am very much OK with that. I can't see us moving all our stuff in together at this point. My kids are still home and even though that gets tiring, I am glad to know what they are doing. Both kids got food service kinds of jobs. Funny, since they never lifted a finger in the kitchen at home. One son loaned his car to a friend who tried to drag race it and did undercarriage damage. He delivered pizza with my car for a while. Today (I pray) he gets his car back. Lesson learned? Maybe. I took a bath last nite with my contact lens in. Normally I am fortunately half blind in the tub. I found a whole new crop of broken veins!!!! I read that you get them early if you were a sun worshipper when you were young. Guilty. I have a few scars on my face from an accident so I did not tan my face, but always layed out from May to Sept. Well, I am paying for it now. Now I will have to wear pantyhose with my shorts Not that I will wear shorts. Mark touched a bunch of broken veins on the side of my knee and asked if they hurt. Nahhhh. Just my vanity is impaired. And my wing span. Oyyyy. Thank God for three quarter length sleeves!!!
Am I still the youngest one here? I sound like the oldest
Take care girls, I'll check in again soon.
Ally

Hi Anagram and Ally. Nice to see you too return to the fold.

Ally, you sound busy and happy. That is nice. It is nice to know what your kids are doing even if you are no longer responsible for them. You sure don't want them to get into any kind of trouble. It's good they are both working, also it is nice to have a year to determine what you want to do.

Anagram - I am so glad you are starting to feel better. Hope you just get better and better.

Joanne - No, I don't want to move South. I love it here and Iknow I would not be one to leave my home for months on end. I would really miss my family too much. The weather is ok, just snow showers, like your rain showers. It is nice and sunny, but every so often a snow flurry passes through. This is unusal for us to have so many this time of the year, but it happens. Next week, we will be up in the 70's and then I will be complaining because it is too hot

Candice - Go into the thing at the top that says User CP and then I believe it is the very top one, about signatures. You can put in your siggy and it will appear each time. For some reason or other, I cannot see mine, so I forget about it being there. I wonder why I can't see it? Anyway, I hope you are not being hard on your body this spring.

American Idol was sure a surprise. Imagine getting rid of one of the best performers. Fans can be fickle that is for sure. Jasmine should be gone, but it is what the people voted for. I think in the end, it could well be Dianna who becomes the idol. She has a great voice and just enjoys singing. Always a big smile on her face. Fantasia is another that sings with lots of feeling, but she is more soulful. Dianna can sing just about anything.

Hope you are all having a good day.

I don't know who got off American Idol because I forgot to check-I really trhought it was going to be Jasmine. Walked with Auntie who turns 81 next week -bought her some little things like a regular phone with a loud ring. Going to work next Tues afternonn. Brad's stepdaughter took the rest of her mother's things out of the attic but I'd better not do some more up there til my allergies calm down=too much dust. Now most of the stuff is ours. I'm always cleaning out other people's things, it seems. Bye for now Mima

Mima- It looks like this is slowly turning into a hot summer. I walked to the beach yesterday and almost got a burn. My son brought me his treadmil today and took my old one away. I guess the salvation army got it. It was nice walking on it. It has so many things on it I will never learn them all. It can even be hooked to a computer.I did 3 miles on it and will increase to more slowly. With a fan it makes it nice. I put on my Music and watch tv at the same time. There have been days I couldn't walk for one reason or another. Now I have no excuse.
Ally- So both of your kids are home? I bet they found out how hard it is out there. One lesson learned. It is nice when they start to grow up. I know a couple who dated for a long time. They each had teenagers. When the kids finally left home they got married. They are the happiest two people I know.
Happy.. 70's are the best weather for us. I don't think we will see any days like that till at least October. It is hitting the 90 degree mark now. Snow showers are something I don't think I will see. But, We really could use the showers now. They say maybe in a couple weeks. I always say when I see it I will believe it.
Hello everybody...Have a Good Weekend...Joanne