Morning all. Loving this mild weather right now.

Happy – You’re quite the night owl! Great news for Meadow and I’m happy to hear it. == How very frustrating with that temporary cap!! Is that a metaphor about you coming unglued, LOL?? If anything will do it, this holiday stuff sure could. Try not to stress over it. :hug: == Okay, I’m maybe feeling a wee bit sorry for myself about not having much vacation left to play with, but it is my decision to carry over the 2.5 days I do have left so I’m not in the same position next year. I think mom is happy enough, though she’s said more than once that she did not imagine herself in a place like she’s in with all the amenities one could need - and more - in one place. I think she would probably have preferred the type of complex that bf’s mom lives in, which is a simple over-55 place with no amenities. But my mom needs the transportation services, as well as other services she may need in the future – assisted living, medical, etc. This is just week 5, so she’s still got a lot of settling in to do. And I won’t tell her that my sister and SIL set her up in the very affluent, ritzy, highfalutin’ suburb of Arl. Heights when she’s more of a Mt. Prospect type, LOLOL. ;) == Yes, the Christmas tree did look pretty through the front picture window when I got home from work last night, all lit up. I put some ornaments on it last night, and I’ll add some more tonight. Debating if I’ll bother with any garland. I have the old school tinsel-y kind, some that looks like strings of cranberries, or I could be a bit different this year and drape the tree with some of that sheer ribbon with the wire along the edges. I’m leaning towards no garland.

Susie – Glad you have the packages all wrapped and you are on to other things. I hope you fit in some “me time” that *isn’t* errands or chores… Hope the scale is good to you at TOPS tonight. -- Re winter – I’m sure many people feel like winter came when the temps went down to freezing, or the snow fell, so the “meteorlogical” winter start on Dec. 1 is more meaningful than the winter solstice. But for me, the signal that the days will start getting longer is a very uplifting thing! -- Re my commuting this week – I thought I’d be using uber instead of taxis, but it turns out during peak periods, Uber uses “surge pricing” and it really isn’t competitive vs. taxi fares. And if I’m lucky, I just walk out of the train station or my office building and a taxi is waiting. But in other situations, I think uber is more convenient, especially in areas where there aren’t a lot of taxis already hanging around. It was great when I needed to get myself home from the salon a few weeks ago. So what’ll you be doing in Cleveland at an arena?? === Wow that was quite a scary dream you had, and how freaky that there some sort of actual security incident actually occurred.

Ceejay – I’m glad you made it okay to the podiatrist office without mishap. I do recall my mom saying the area by the hospitals is called the medical mile. I have to tell you that coming from the Chicago metro area, the Springfield streets and traffic are right up there in terms of being a driver’s challenge – big multi-lane busy streets with lots of traffic. And I haven’t been to Branson but once as an adult, but it’s sort of the same thing on the main drags. I can only imagine being accustomed to small town, rural/semi-rural driving and then dealing with Springfield/Branson roads. == Gosh I’m sorry to hear about your foot! I hope the shot helps with the arthritis. == Yay that the countertops are coming! == A tree in every room – how fun would that be. :) I think I love my ornaments because they have such great memories for me, but I could also see having a pre-lit tree with just some sort of garland and that would be pretty. The lights on a tree are what make it for me.

Shad – I’m going to have to look up what a Karcher is when I get a chance. == Good idea to have a job for the little ones to do to keep them out of mischief- for a bit anyway. == Hmmm, sometimes I think I might not want to know quite as much about what’s going on inside the bod…just more to worry about. – Meteorlogical, astronomical seasons – don’t mean all that much when you get what you get in terms of temps and precip. The fluctuations happen and does it really give you comfort to understand the “why” behind the sweltering hot days or frigid cold days??

Hello to Annie, Dee and Michelle.

==

I’ve finished my foot rx as of this morning. My foot’s still sore, but not nearly as much. I’ll keep up with the limited walking and see where I’m at by Tuesday next week, when I have a follow-up appointment.
Nothing much else to report. The rescue org calendars arrived the other day. Just flipped through it this morning – much more professional-looking photography, yet I think I liked the previous versions better…but the labbies are still wonderful!

Well, well, I’ve received an email saying that our office will close at 1:00 pm tomorrow. :carrot: We usually don’t get emails like that in advance. Nice.

Okay, gonna post this and get on with the rest of my lunch.
:santa::santa::santa::santa::santa:

Evening all.
I went to Republic to deposit some money from the other bank. I did find a mistake on my new checks but it isn't in the routing or account number. Just my name! It will probably be January before I close the other bank account. Making sure the SS check is deposited.
The counter tops arrived today. They are not completely installed but more than likely will be tomorrow. I really like them. Still haven't heard from the garage door installer. This man's daughter helps him and she is good. She took out one of the sinks and the old counter tops and has the other one almost installed. I can't wait to see them finished.
Finally got outside and mulched the leaves. There was so many that they didn't mulch as good as I would have liked. I should have gone over them again but told myself that this would be good fertilizer for the lawn next Spring.
I have a gopher in the back yard. I leveled two "houses" this afternoon. Going to find something to catch this thing.
------

Laura
I'm happy that the rx is helping your foot. My toe was really sore yesterday and this morning but feels better tonight.
The traffic on some of the major streets in Springfield can be overwhelming to me but I'm beginning to get more brave. Once your mom gets everything unpacked I think she will get settled in quickly.

More later. I still need to work at least an hour on my filing. I sure do want some cake.

Nothing much to report from here. Weather is being good although we need some rain. I have been busy getting the house sorted for my guests on 25th. The dog and his dad are at the farm wearing themselves out and J has gone shopping and meeting up with friends. So just me and the cats. Nice it is too.

So that's about it. Will be back with more rantings and ravings tomorrow

Hello Ladies! Yesterday was my last day at home alone before DH is off for Christmas vacation and we will be home together. I went to Walmart yesterday and return some things that I had bought that I ended up not using as gifts because I found other things I wanted to give instead. Then I picked up some things that I needed like tights, pantyhose body wash, lotion you know important things like that.

I had my last weigh-in at TOPS last night and I am down 6 pounds from the beginning of the year; not a whole lot of weight loss but at least I showed a loss for the year. I got a lot of work to do in 2017. We also had Christmas with our nieces last night. It was a lot of fun watching them open the presents we had gotten them. They were very happy with all of them one thing that really warms my heart was Aidynne said, "Aunt Susie, it isn't because you and Uncle John get us such nice things, which you do, think that we love our gifts it's because you know what we like and have an interest in us and you really put a lot of thought into our gifts and it shows how much you love us, because you really know us and that is what love is to me. It sure warmed my heart.
Today we are going to meet a friend later and see the new Will Smith movie Collateral Beauty and that's really all that's on tap for today.

Until we go to the movie, I will be filing some things in the office and just taking it easy.

I will come back and do personals later.

Morning all. The train was rather empty today, and it’s very quiet around here. Neither is surprising. It’s in the md-thirties today, but overcast. Some wet snow is forecast, but it won’t be around long at all because we’re getting even milder temps in the next couple days.

==

Ceejay – As long as the SS checks get into the account, that’s what matters most! :D LOL re mulching the leaves – ours have been covered with snow for quite a while now, so when our snow melts away, the leaves will be a soggy, moldy mess. They’ll have to be cleaned up in the spring. It’s great you had the opportunity to do that – in late December!! == You’ll have to post a photo of the counters when they’re done. -- I recall my mom talking about gophers or voles (?) in the lawn. == Glad your toe is less sore.

Shad – Glad you had some alone time, and you probably got a lot done!

Susie – What a sweet thing for your niece to say! It’s so nice for them to recognize the thoughtfulness of your gifts, and for her to voice her appreciation like that. – Hope you enjoy the movie – let us know if you did. I want to see La La Land, but I’ll probably end up seeing that with my movie group gals. == Great job for ending the year with a lower number on the scale! :cheer: If I hang on for the next week, I too can end the year a few pounds lighter than I began it. Thanks for sharing that – I’m going to keep that in mind and hopefully make smart choices and eat smaller portions throughout the holiday meals I have coming up.

Annie – Enjoy your family time today!!

Hellos to the rest of you. Hope you’re enjoying your week.
--
As usual, a ho-hum day for me yesterday. I did some vacuuming last night and remembered to wash a load of a few tablecloths along with some other items to make up a full load so that the red tablecloth is clean for tomorrow.

My mom and bf’s mom will both be over for our meal – unbelievable, but it will be the first time they’ve met! For our meal, we’re having ham medallions from the breakfast place that specializes in ham. On the side, we’ll have homemade au gratin potatoes and green beans with tomatoes and garlic, and some sort of roll or biscuit. Simple meal. For dessert, I’m going to make a German apple cake recipe my sister used for a gathering a few months ago that was so tasty. Bf had suggested cheesecake because everyone likes it, but I’m tired of making that. If anything, I have a recipe for mini cheesecakes that get baked in cupcake cups, and even that recipe will get halved because it makes too much.

I heard about the Cuisinart food processor blade recall and checked my machine last night – it’s a Kitchenaid, so no worrries! I have a thank you card to send, so last night I thought I could pick out a thank you card from my "collection" that I’ve accumulated over the years, but naturally there was nothing I wanted to use. I’ll run out around lunchtime today and buy one from the pharmacy down the block.

The office closes at 1:00 pm today and there’s a special express train at 1:24. Bf and I will likely go get some lunch when I get home, and after that I’d like to do a bit of cleaning today while he does the grocery shopping.

That’s it for me, so I’ll get this posted. TTFN.
:hohoho::hohoho::hohoho:

Good morning ladies,

Here it is 2 days before Christmas and I am hoping to get my minimal Christmas decorating done today and get my cards in the mail tomorrow - nothing like last minute, eh? I was planning on being home tomorrow but was asked if I could stop in the thrift store tomorrow to put up signs for 75% off all Christmas items. I will also try and put all items together - clothes, jewelry, as well as thrift and type up instructions on how to use the cash register to figure out the discount. I guess I can plan on a few hours at the shop so more pressure to get things done at home today...

Tonight Mr. UPS man should be delivering a box of Chicago food treats which DH is eagerly awaiting. Thing is, we are last on the route so he might not be delivering until 8pm so I guess I had better plan on making dinner tonight. I went to the store to pick up "a few" things for holiday dinner. Bought some stock up staples also but managed to spend $300 again. :no: I really HAVE to make sure I use up the food and it doesn't go to waste. I was hungry and bought some things from the deli - salads and sandwich meat. The store has changed and their deli salads look good but are missing good taste so done with that. Even the 3 bean salad - how can you mess that up? Was yucky. My friend traded me 18 fresh chicken eggs for some winter citrus so my refrigerator is overloaded with eggs. I will cook up some today and make a few deviled eggs as well as use the rest in potato salad. There goes a dozen easily. I also found some interesting brunch recipes.

Susie - yay for you for taking back the unneeded gift items to Walmart. I tend to put the stuff on a pile to return and then forget about it. Congratulations on being down weight wise from the beginning of the year. Yes, it might be a smaller number than you'd like BUT ending the year smaller is an accomplishment to be proud of, not matter what. You've also had a super busy year and it's a perfect example of how life seems to consume us and take us away from our own personal progress. We have to make ourselves as much of a priority as Mr. Executive's jumbled schedule and Miss J's monthly reports! I tend to do the same thing - let other things overshadow my personal goals. I like what your niece said - how perceptive of her. One of my co-volunteers gave me a 365 page a day calendar with yoga moves. It was unexpected and so sweet and I told her that I LOVED that it was such a personal gift. I think that's the issue with gift giving, we are in such a rush and people just don't know each other that well anymore and we buy to buy. It took a long time and my sister is fighting the same thing with people in her circle - to get together and enjoy each other's company and skip the gift giving. But some are reluctant to give it up. I'm glad the girls enjoyed their gifts. Hope you enjoy the movie - let us know what you think. That looked like a good one.

Shad - enjoy your peace and quiet while you have it. I hope your brunch comes out fabulously with minimal effort on your part. And afterwards when everyone goes home, I hope you get a good rain to give everything a much needed drink of water. Please explain what a karcher is too - is it a window cleaner???

Ceejay - glad you like the countertops. Must post pictures when the project is complete. Funny that they got your name wrong on the check. People must be in a hurry - I am getting mail with misspelled names on it - including my Mom's card to us - I have had the same last name for 40 years now and she spelled it wrong. :rofl: One of DH's cousin's also spelled our name wrong and it's their Mom's maiden name !

Laura - sorry the rx didn't completely take away the foot pain. That sure is a stubborn one to get over. Wise to limit the walking if you can and give it a rest. Yes, I totally understand feeling blue over not having more vacation time to spare. When you are working, nothing is more precious to me (at least) than time off. Never enough time to get things done and if you take some me time you feel guilty for it. I also laughed about your comment of "affluent" Arlington Heights because I used to joke I lived on the "poor side of town" south of NW Highway :rofl: There was definitely alot more money up that side of town than from where I lived. But then they built the fancy homes around me which I thought was insane. As for your Mom, I'd take the building with amenities over just an apartment complex to live with older folks. It's just that those can become frightfully expensive at times. What did you decide on for the final topping on the tree? I did notice and do like the decorative holiday smiley line you have completed your posts with this week :D

Well I'd better get off the computer before I blow the day away - again. Spend your weekend wisely!

Lost my post, but it wasn't very long. Just saying that I am busy and attaching the photo of the karcher. Dogs best friend.

Still got a long list of things to do, so better get on with it.

Hello Friends.

We really enjoyed the movie yesterday. There was a twist that I didnt see coming...and it made the movie beautiful.

We are going to Christmas Eve services here in a bit. We visited DH's dad this afternoon. Oncr we get back from services I have deviled eggs to prepare and some cookies to bake. In the morning the ham will be fixed. It is a precooked one, it really jusy entails heating it up and glazing it.
We have having Subway subs for dinner tonight so we dont have to cook and get those things all going as well. DH got them.this afternoon and they are in the fridge.

Laura, your simple meal sounds very nice. I cant believe that you and BF's mom's have never met. This will be fun! I bet they will enjoy getting to know each other.

Stay the course so you can show a loss on Dec 31. You can do it!

Happy, you are such a good friend to that thrift shop! They are lucky to have you!

$300 at the grocery!!!! You shouldn't have to shop for awhile.

The calendar that you received sounds so nice and very personal to you. That was very thoughtful of that woman. I dont like to give gifts that I haven't put thought into.

Your DH posted a FB a beautiful picture of two dears in your driveway. You live in a winter wonderland land! You dont need decorations to feel festive there but I hope you got up what you wanted to and are enjoying it.

Shad, Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Annie: I hope you are having a beautiful Christmas Eve with your family.

Ceejay: are the counter tops installed? I would love to see pictures when you have them. Did you solve the issue with the gopher.

Merry Chritmas my Wordly friends. Your friendship is a a very special gift to me.

Just a note to say Merry Christmas

Evening all. Bf just left to take our moms home. In spite of a simple meal, I'm pooped after a day of baking, cleaning, & cooking. Bf asked if I wanted to go to the gathering of some friends of the family after the mom's got taken home, but like I said, I'm pooped and the gathering isn't all that close to home, so I took a pass.

Just relaxing with a glass of wine now. I'll get to bed at a reasonable time so I can get up and bake some cookies tomorrow to bring to my family's gathering in the afternoon.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Shad, hope your brunch is going well and you're finding time to enjoy yourself.

:ginger: :xcheer:

Evening all,
We've had our brunch and now the kids have gone out to see friends and tomorrow they are off to Cairns for 6 days. ODDU, the 2 cats and I will have a quiet time.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope you have a safe, happy day with family and friends. I've attached a picture of my loved ones at my place today. My two brothers - DB1 and DB2 are on the left with DB1's wife seated beside the DB2. On the couch from the left are my great niece Savannah with her dad and her mum (my niece) next then the DB2's ex-wife and great niece Elena and on the end is my nephew Rhys and his wife Ashleigh. In the front on the floor is Jo, DS2 Simon and me with Ruger the dog and his red Christmas tie.
So there you have it. You've met the vast majority of the Australian clan. Only missing is DS1 Brendan and Michelle and Sophia.

Travel well, stay safe and have a wonderful day.

Good morning friends!

I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did. DH did a great job with my gifts, which included a new purse and a new coat.

Today we are going to my brother's house to have Christmas with them. I am excited to see my nephews.

I just got finished with a 20 min ride on my recumbent bike.

Now to make the bed and get a shower and head to Cincinnati.

Shad: you have a nice looking bunch there!

I will see everyone tomorrow

Good morning!

We had a very nice time with my brother's family yesterday. Very laid back. A lot of my time was playing with the nephews and their new race track.

Today, we are going to deep clean our bedroom and the exercise room. We also have a dinner scheduled with DH's best friend's daughter and her fiance.

She recently got engaged and is planning a wedding in March. We have known her since she was 3 yrs old. Her Dad, who was best friends with my DH's passed away very unexpectedly about 4 years ago. His daughter has asked my DH if he could help finish a very important job for his best friend in relation to her upcoming wedding--she wants DH to walk her down the isle!

We are so touched by this. We don't know her fiance very well so we are going to have dinner together and get to know him better and talk about the wedding.

Have a great day everyone. I will check in tomorrow.

A quick good morning ladies,

We had a nice quiet Christmas. Nasty weather and ice moved in and everything is all glazed and slippery. I have a hair appointment and my afternoon shift at the shop. The shop is only one street down from the hair dresser so I was going to walk there afterwards so DH can have the car. I am a bit nervous about this - if I fall, I'm not sure I can get up, especially on icy sidewalks.

Will report back later as I am running late as usual and I want to pack a lunch with me.

Hope all is well with you ladies.

Great family picture there Shad!

Morning all. Back to work today. I’m glad it’s a short work week.

Susie - Glad you enjoyed your time yesterday with your brother and his family. – What an honor for your dh to walk his best friend’s daughter down the aisle! Enjoy the lunch with her and her fiancé.

Shad – Nice pic of the family. How nice you’ll have a long stretch of time alone with just you and the furries around the house. == So the Karcher is a power washer – did ODDU chew up the hose to it??

Ceejay – Nice photos of you and the family on FB. Looks like it was a nice gathering.

Happy – Wow, that’s a big grocery bill! And now you have a lot of eggs…what have you been using them for? -- I’d forgotten that the doc said the foot rx would still be working after I finished taking it, and it has felt better the last couple days. -- The tree topper we used is a pretty gold metallic star studded with colored stones. I like it a lot, but it can be challenging to get it securely on the tree, and get it straight to boot. == Be safe when you’re out and about today on those slippery surfaces!!

==
We had a nice holiday weekend, though busy. On Saturday night, bf ended up coming right back home after dropping off our mom’s since it was getting late. He thought his friend’s family gathering might be breaking up by the time he arrived, and he was also tired out after hosting our moms. BTW, they got along great, but of course 95% of the talk was about medical stuff and medical insurance – par for the course for people their age, LOL.

On Sunday I made a couple different types of cookies (thumbprints and almond crescents), and then we went over to my SIL’s house for dinner. It was wonderful. And her new kitchen/dining area is just beautiful. Her cabinetry is an antique white color, and the counters are a gorgeous quartz in a lighter shade, with a lot of variations in pattern, much like granite, but none of the maintenance of it.

Yesterday I met a friend for lunch and a movie. We saw “La La Land”. I liked it well enough, but I’m not sure if it’s one of the best movies of the year that it’s being hyped as by critics. There was one scene that was really reminiscent of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance routines and I really enjoyed that because I love those Fred & Ginger movies. I thought Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were very good in their roles in spite of not being professional singers or dancers – certainly not embarrassingly bad like Pierce Brosnan in “Mama Mia”.

Today I have my follow-up with the podiatrist after work. My foot “suddenly” seemed much better on Sunday – even after standing at the counter for a few hours making the cookies the other day. Still sore, but I hope it continues to get better.

Okay, that’s it for me. TTFN. :wave:

Hi all,
I've eaten something that disagreed with me so today has been a wash out. It's still rumbling on but since I slept so badly last night, I will be off to bed very soon to try for a decent sleep tonight.

I've read the posts but I don't have the energy to reply at the moment. Back tomorrow

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, back to work I go/went. Was nice being off. Christmas was ok. The kids were the funniest ever. Best statement by Royce who opened a gift which was sweat pants, "Pants, that's not fair". Bout blew my coffee on that one. The boys got more than enough gifts, probably enough for 6 more kids. Time to go through all their toys, AGAIN, and ditch more to charity. Will have to be done while they are not home. Christmas dinner with the fam was great at our house. Made ham, gbeans, mac n cheese (homemade kind), corn, Asian salad, choc pie and pecan pie. SIL brought mashed potatos, pineapple cake, chocolate cake and pumpkin cream cheese thingys. All so tasty and I don't need to eat for another 3 days. I got a pair of socks that say, Ho HO Ho as a joke. I sign everything A. Hoh. Hoh is short for my last name. bah

We are still going to my nephews for NYE seafood fest. I am so excited as I love seafood. Peel and eat shrimp, crab legs, baked salmon are just a few of the items. I think I may make a seafood cheese ball and a few other things. May take a cheese tray as Aldi's has cheese at a very decent price. Crackers too. We have reserved a hotel just a few miles north of my nephew's. Don't want to drive very far with all the crazy drunk drivers out there. I will probably over eat but hey, seafood is not bad on calories but the cheese is another story!

I went to my supposedly last ankle appt, nope have to go back in May. Told him I am having horrible cramping in my legs/ankle/foot, plus my big toe on that ankle/foot is very tingly. My potassium level checks out fine. Doc said it was not due to potassium. It is due to the nerve down my leg into may ankle across my foot into my toe. Doc wrote a script to help that nerve heal, unfortunatly, it will make me drowsy/sleepy. Take before bed time. Yikes, just when I am getting a bit of energy back. Will take it a bit earlier tonight as I was so sleepy this morning I brushed my teeth and took a shower with my eyes closed. First time for that in very long time. Also wrote a script for a "compound" cream to massage into that ankle and foot. It comes from BioMed specialty pharmacy, has to be compounded then they mail it to you. I don't know the compound.

SHADDIE...enjoy your quiet time with Sunday and ODDU. Your family picture is very nice.

HAPPY...good to hear Meadow is not in such danger. How are you holding up? Pain level?

Posting this and will come right back and finish. This computer is jerking around and afraid I will lose what I have.

Oh on the ankle, the fusion is complete just will continue to heal for another 4 or 5 months. Doc said the swelling should all but be gone by then too. We will see. Hoping to get back to my leg/ankle modeling career that has been on hold. bahahahhaha.

LAURA...busy times. Exhaustion is always there when hosting an occasion. That was how I felt too. Glad your foot is feeling better. Your cookies sound yummy.

SUSIE...you nephew telling you about your gifts and thoughtfulness melted my heart. HOpe everything was good at work when you returned. Pretty calm upon my arrival to work. Good job being 6 down rather than 6 up on the WL scheme of things. Whew who.

Must get busy, clean up this desk of stuff and get on with it.

Cheers to 2017, as 2016 pretty much s*cked for me!

Hugs all

Morning all.

Shad
Hope you’re feeling better now and have caught up on your sleep.

Annie
Your NYE plans sound wonderful and delicious. I think bf & I’ll be spending NYE at home and not have any (or many, at least) people over. I’d really like to just get a few dvd’s from the library and watch a movie. We had something - or multiple somethings - going on the past three weekends and I’d like this to be a “no plans” weekend. == LOL re Royce’s comment. :D I’ve always laughed when the clothing gifts are opened and quickly discarded by the kids in search of the GOOD gifts, LOL. The Ho ho ho socks are perfect for you Mrs. Hoh. == Guess you really need another ankle doc appointment since you’re still dealing with issues. I hope the scripts work out those last problems and that the healing continues to go well. == Agree with you – let’s all have a fab 2017!! :cheers:

Hellos to Happy, Ceejay & Susie. :wave:
==
Went to my foot doc appointment last night. Another med to take for a bit – an arthritis one. Hope it wipes out the rest of the soreness/inflammation.

Other than that, nothing special to report. The scale still shows me down 4 pounds since the November mom move, and if it doesn’t move between now and the 31st, I will also be down 4 pounds for the entire year. Whoop-ti-doo. Better than being up 4 pounds.

No plans tonight, but I might do a load of laundry and get myself registered for the Pilates class starting next week at the recplex. I’ll take the Wednesday class this time around since the Pilates classes I did earlier in the year were a bear for me just because they fell on a Monday.

Okay, off to post.

Hi all,

Try to get a proper post in here. I am stuck between a rock and a hard spot. Either I toss and turn all night or I take the Motrin PM which knocks me out but I want to sleep 12 hours and wake up groggy at 11am which blows the day away. :rolleyes:

Got my hair done yesterday. She barely trimmed it (at my request). Want to see if I want to grow it a bit longer than just below the ear. It's almost to my shoulders now but I'm not sure I'm liking it much. Now that my real hair texture is gray and lifeless, it's very hard to style.

The whole town is an ice rink from Christmas' ice storm and rain. I felt bad - the hair salon is literally one street over from the thrift shop yet I had to call DH to come from home (4 miles) to pick me up at the salon and drive me one street) to the thrift shop. People are actually strapping on ice skates and skating the streets of town. Our thrift shop parking lot is an ice skaters dream. We chipped the ice away at our entrances but that's about it. There are huge stretches of ice all along town hence DH having to drive me. He skated his way across the parking lot to pick up our garbage bin from Monday's pick up. Still in spite of the weather, we made $300 in sales - not bad for an otherwise yuckky day. I am glad I don't have anything else scheduled for the rest of the week to Sunday except for possibly bingo Thursday night.

Laura - I hope this latest rx fixes the last of the foot pain. It sure does seem to linger. I agree with you about getting some movies and staying on on New Year's. After our 20's DH was never keen on going out anyway. There are a couple of things in town - our favorite Italian restaurant is doing a special meal, the wine place is kicking off their new fondue taste and drink service and the steakhouse is having a special NYE dinner with music after 9pm but we will stay home instead, unless we do an early dinner out. You have been doing alot of running around, sometimes it's nice to stay home with the comfy pjs and just snuggle. Good for you - congrats on ending the year pounds down. And good work for keeping up with the exercise. You asked what I did with the extra eggs - I put alot in the potato salad and hard cooked a bunch to use in tuna salad, egg salad and deviled eggs. There is also a childhood favorite of hard cooked eggs in a bechamel sauce over toast that my Mom learned in home ec in high school that was one of our meatless Lenten Friday meals and cheap too but it's a long standing favorite. I was disappointed that the very pricey eggs I got from a second farmer's market - 3 of them were floaters and 2 cracked while cooking so I'm going to say something the next time I see L at the market. I don't mind losing one but 1/3 of the dozen is a bit much there. Yum on the Christmas cookies - 2 of my all time favorites. What flavor did you put in the thumbprints? I had to laugh about your comment with Mom and BF's mom talking about ailments. My sister texted me on Christmas - Mom and Sis' FIL were debating - glaucoma vs macular degeneration - which is worse? LOL And then they moved on to teeth. Lord take me before I get to that point where that's my topic of conversation :lol: I was thinking about going to the movies but when I looked up the reviews on Collateral Beauty and Passengers - they were both rated low on Rotten Tomatoes. I would go see Sing but DH is not into animated films. I was going to watch Magnificent Seven which friends said was a good old fashioned western but then I saw it's a bloody shoot 'em up and that's not my style of movie. I told DH - no dying stuff over the Christmas holidays!

Anne - how exciting that you can resume your foot modelling come spring time - just in time for those cute Easter shoes :lol3: I have a whole new respect for bone healing now. Interesting just how many people are saying that 2016 was a bad year in all. It wasn't the best for me but considering that I have friends who lost loved ones, found out their partner has serious cancer, lost jobs and had money woes or were just becoming more isolated through pain and loneliness, I decided that over all it wasn't so bad. For me. Still I hold out hope for a better 2017. And I am fortunate - 2019 was my retirement date originally - geez that once seemed so far away - and I have been retired for 5 years now, so I am fortunate and blessed to be able to do this early and enjoy my life. LOL on Royce's commentary on presents :lol: I thought that an argyle sweater and matching knee socks would be the bomb present when I was a kid. DH used to complain when he got clothes as a present too. Your dinner sounded divine. Lots to pick from and enjoy as leftovers. I too would be excited about your NYE seafood feast. Yum, yum, YUM. Sorry you are getting comatose from your new meds. I hope the new compound rub helps you alot. As to your question about pain - for me it's day to day. Sometimes it's the new knee, sometimes it's the arthritis. I realize I need to move more in a mindful way and just accept that I will probably never feel hot diggity dog ever again :D Just move on girl, be glad you can walk, even if it's slower.

Shad - hope you rest up and feel better. Glad you had a nice Christmas brunch with the family for all the work you put into it. Now put the pots and platters away until the next year.

Susie - what a touching story about DH being asked to walk the daughter down the aisle. Very sweet! Sounds like you have a very busy schedule even on your holiday. But at least it's filled with fun things. And you even worked in a bit of cleaning - good for you! Enjoy the rest of your time off.

Ceejay - did you miss the uncles this holiday? Looks like you had a wonderful time with your sister and family from the Facebook photos.

Well I have again blown a good part of the day. Going to look for some lunch and then do some cleaning and organizing before the evening hits. Have a good day all and enjoy your holiday if you are lucky to have time off.

Good Morning/Evening All...

Today is my Friday. Monday is our NYs company holiday, 4 days off. Yeeehaaa. Tomorrow we are taking the boys to the Murat Theater to see Paw Patrol Live<---kids cartoons. Hopefully they will be jazzed about it. Ha ha on Christmas morning. They both just walked slowly into the living room, looked around and wanted to know where Santa was. Hmmmm, misconception of some sort. They didn't get excited till about half way thru their presents, plus they slept in til 9 am. Weird little kids. lol.

Last night was leftover ham and beans soup. Fresh cornbread. I added green onions to the cornbread batter and cheese on top. Yum. C was not all that excited about dinner as the beans gave him gas so bad he about stunk me out of bed. Same thing last night. Needless to say, I was not all that quiet about it either...lol.

HAPPY....cheers to a better 2017 for all of us! I wonder if it does get better the older we get?? Are we destine to talk about eyes and teeth? Ice on the streets, parking lots and sidewalks can be so dangerous. My cousin years ago, got out of the car at curbside drop off at the airport, slipped on the street ice, hit her head on the curb and died from it after being in a coma for a week. Be careful girl with all the wobbling around the both of us do. Hair, oy. I try to grow mine out then suffer thru the agony of it all and end up cutting it off. Bleh.

LAURA...yeee, hope the new meds help your foot pain. Great job on being 4 lbs down. Better than being 4 pounds up. Staying home on NYE sounds awesome, if it weren't for the seafood I might have taken that path. Love me some seafood. Oh visiting family is a plus. haha.

Hello to all!

HAPPY 2017, goodbye @)!^/2016.

Love, Hugs and Prayers.

For those who asked, the medication for the nerve thing is called Gabapentin (300 mg). It is also used for a seizure med.

Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic medication, also called an anticonvulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. Gabapentin is used in adults to treat nerve pain caused by herpes virus or shingles (herpes zoster) Not a narcotic.

All the meds I am on, my body is probably freaking out. Hello Carrie and Debbie!

Morning all.

Annie – It’s my Friday too, and I’ll have a 4-day weekend also. :carrot: We also had leftover ham for dinner yesterday! Yum. I hope both you and C learned your lessons -no more beans for C!!! :lol: == LOL, you’re right, it is odd that the boys slept in on Christmas morning!! They must have stayed up very late waiting for Santa. :santa: == My Coal was on Gabapentin as another way of treating his arthritic hips in addition to the anti-inflammatories he took. He's been gone five months now. Still miss him terribly. :( Anyway, I hope that drug takes away your tingly feelings. – Safe travels my friend, and enjoy your NYE celebration!!

Happy – Be very careful on the icy surfaces! I strongly recommend wearing those thingies that fit onto the soles of your shoes that give you traction – there’s many brands/types out there to choose from. They will not go to waste up in your neck of the woods! Even when you get a ride right to the door, there’s always some steps to take and they could be icy – Annie’s cousin is an example. She got dropped off at a spot at the airport with probably the least amount of outside walking required and still took a fatal fall. – That’s a lot of salads with the eggs!! What, no frittatas or omelets? :D == For my thumbprint cooies, we used seedless raspberry jam for filling the indentation. == The elderly discussing their ailments is a universal thing, no doubt about it. :) == Re movies – I use the app/site IMDB a LOT. They have a metascore that’s an accumulation of critic reviews and both of the movies you mentioned had very low scores – 41 for Passengers and 24 for Collateral Beauty. Compared to a score of 93 for La La Land. As for something else lighthearted/comedic, I saw the trailer for the movie “Why Him” and it looked funny, but the metascore is only 38, so I guess I’ll wait until it’s released on dvd before I see that one.

Ceejay – Love those photos you’ve posted on FB! You look like you were all having a wonderful time. :)

==

I didn’t do anything last night except dinner and tv and reading. Lazy Laura, that’s me.

It’s my Friday today, so I’m looking forward to a 4-day weekend. Tomorrow morning is my mammogram appointment, oh the fun. But then the rest of the day is mine. Wait, I take that back. I’ll probably spend some time at mom’s. Bf is going to re-install some closet doors for her. The previous owner of her unit had removed the set of bifold doors and the shelves from a small-ish hallway closet and used it as a place to park her electric scooter thingy. Mom definitely needs the storage space, so the doors & shelves need to be reinstalled. Bf bought a new track and installation kit, so hopefully he can get this done without too much trouble. I’ll help with whatever he needs help with.

But before that, I’ll probably stop at the thrift shop on my way home from the mammo. On the last day of each month, they have a half-off sale for all items over $1.00, and this month they’re having the sale on both the 30th and 31st. Oh, I should bag some of the donation items sitting in the closet and drop those off when I go to the shop.

For NYE, bf invited a couple of his friends over to the house and they’ll hang out, play pool, etc. I’ll get over to the library for some movies and probably spend the night watching those. That’s all I have planned for the weekend. I’m in dire need of some new clothes and, as usual, a new set of earbuds, so I’ll probably end up doing some shopping.

That’s it for me, so I’ll get this posted.

Howdy ladies,

In a show of sisterly solidarity - we also had left over ham and potato salad for dinner last night :rofl: Actually I was planning on Italian beef sandwiches and I had kept the cooler of food in the 3 season room after it was delivered. When I pulled out the stuff to warm, I was rather shocked that it was still frozen solid. DH was starving so we just went to the easy to fix ham and potato salad.

Yesterday I spent the better part of the evening going through some paper piles that I had been building on and ignoring for quite a while. I am determined in this new year to get rid of alot of clutter. And I am asking myself - WHY am I keeping this???? While sorting, I also read a bunch of catalogs and back issues of news papers so that I could pack, toss and get rid of as much as possible. I also reminded myself that there is no need to buy 3 sets of colored pens because I have not been using my coloring books and they dry out easily if not used. I am also tossing about in my head - no real plan yet - what to do with my kitchen cabinets. They are small and narrow - most homes up this way unless you have a fancy, expensive house - are built with useless small galley kitchens. I have pots and pans and dishes of course, 2 drawers for cutlery and utensils. The other 4 cabinets I have food in but they are very awkward to see things in - even using lazy susan trays in them so I put stuff in and then tend not to use the food in them because I can't see them. I'd actually be better off ripping them all out and putting in shelves instead - would be more practical but wouldn't look very good aesthetically I think. I don't have any plans for anything outside of the house until next Monday. How nice. :D Except for bingo tonight but I don't actually HAVE to go do that.

Still not sleeping. Last night I skipped the Motrin PM (my sister is warning me of the dangers of Benedryl and dementia) and I tried to sleep in my bed instead of the recliner. I went to bed tired at 1:45am. Tossed and turned until DH started making loud noises with his CPAP at 4am. I went to the recliner but it was well after 5am before I fell asleep and woke up at 10:45am. I just can't seem to get comfortable in my bed. Tried lifting the head up, lifting the feet up. Nothing. I fall asleep for 10 or 15 minutes and wake right up again. It is super annoying and I hate sleeping in so late as it ruins the day for me. Going to pick up some melatonin. And some wine although I don't want to mix the oxycodone and wine although it's low doses of both. Today my legs are ok - mild discomfort but very tolerable. Pain seems to be tied with incoming weather and storms. I am ready to be over this already so focusing on mind over matter :D

Annie - hubby was on gabapentin. Not sure it did anything for him though. Hope it works for you. OMG - that is such a tragic story about your cousin slipping and falling :yikes: I would chalk that up to one of those "when it's your time... " types of incidents. But still - you are right - falling can be a very life changing thing. DH at least went and got some salt and put it in a walkway path along the deck and down the stairs which I was grateful for. He said I am too paranoid about falling and it makes me change my entire stance. Yes, this is true - I walk like a very old lady and reminded him that when his back hurts - he avoids doing something to injure it AND if I fell down he would remind me that he cannot lift me to pick me up so I have to watch for myself. This new deck we have is very pretty BUT the oil stain we selected is much slicker than a typical wood stain so water beads on it and you have slick spots. Also he opted for a wide "drink rail" on the entire railing and that is also slippery and difficult for me to grab on and hold as I am on the stairs. Looks nice but totally impractical for old people. And he gets piszzzy if I say anything. :rolleyes: So I just go slowly. Do you also have issues with trying to protect your foot? As for the kids and Santa, right before Christmas I saw an ad of Facebook where you take a picture of your living room and you can superimpose a picture of Santa on it to show the kids that Santa really was there. :lol: I googled and there are a couple of aps for that. Glad to hear they liked their stuff - except for the clothes of course ! Enjoy your seafood bonanza - you got me thinking I need to go through my freezer. I know I have scallops for sure in there. DH would be happy with a steak and maybe some cold shrimp. Enjoy your long weekend. Guess life's a gas when you add beans to the mix :lol3:

Laura - I am familiar with IMDB - use it for synopsis of movies, didn't think about using it for movie reviews. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm sorry you are still missing Coal - I'm sure he will always be in your heart. That's nice that BF is going to re-make your Mom's closet. For sure she could use the storage space and I'm sure she will appreciate it. Living in a place like that forces you to live minimally. I'm not sure how we ever managed to live in a one bedroom apartment when we got married... Funny you mention frittatas. I was thinking of just that as I have a box of mushrooms to use up and I like quiches and frittatas and DH does not. Thinking ahead to the new year - I am going to try an incorporate low carbing - one of my biggest problems is that I don't plan and then I'm ravenous and don't eat right. Frittatas are perfect for incorporating veggies, protein and something you can easily grab and warm up quickly. Thank you for the second suggestion! Hope you find something fun at the thrift shop. We tried doing sales but that doesn't seem to attract any more people in. Although we have Christmas at 75% off and that is doing well. We also notice people "sneaking" in donations of Christmas stuff as they clean up after the holidays. At some point we may refuse to take Christmas stuff altogether. I did snag a tiara and 2 noisemakers for this New Year's "bonanza celebration" which involves us sitting around in our fleece and me trying to keep DH awake until midnight. *waves pointer finger in the air in circles* :D

Ceejay - I agree with Laura - looks like you are very happy and enjoying your life in MO.

Happy New Year to the rest of the chicks. Hope you are all enjoying a bit of quite relaxation before we get up and do it all again come Tuesday.

Hi Everyone. Yesterday was full with getting my hair done, (cut and color, same style)

We also returned two shirts that I bought for DH and they were a slimmer cut in his regular size. I didn't realize that they were slim cut. We got the same shirts in regular fit.

Today we drove to Cleveland and just got back from the Caves game about 40 min ago. DH LOVED it and I did too.

We used Uber for the first time and that was fun and easy! Two rides cost us about $14 total, much cheaper then parking and dealing with traffic in our own car and not knowing where we were going downtown

I don't go back to work until Tuesday!

Laura, you can do it! Keep those 4 lbs off for a loss this year.

Annie: I hope the meds help with the nerve pain. Your grandbabies are so funny!

Happy: I am not afraid of snow at all...but ice is a whole different story! Especially on a deck!!

Ceejay, I too have been enjoying the pictues on Facebook that you have been posting.

Hi to Shad!

I need to get to sleep.

Morning all,

I am writing this while eating my berries for breakfast. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. I was supposed to add some apple to that but forgot until just know. Apple for morning tea then maybe. Love the berries, although I must admit that the blueberries don't seem to have a great deal of flavour this year. I have them with plain yoghurt. That gets me going for a long while.

Feeling a lot better after that bug that I had. Don't know what it was, but I would not like it back thank you. I can do without the gut ache and the burping and the dashes to the loo. Even got some energy back and that has translated to running with the dog. Sure it isn't fast and it isn't pretty but the dog enjoys it. He runs of a bit more energy even if it isn't a race around the farm with the other dogs.

Annie - enjoy the seafood fest with the family. Gotta start the year off right and that sounds like a great way to farewell this very ordinary year. Your Christmas dinner sounded great too. Had to laugh at the pants comment from the kids.
Don't know if we are destined to talk about our health as we get older. It might be true because things seem to go wrong quickly at times. Betcha the first time we meet physically, we start on about our bones and hormones - or lack thereof.

Laura - yes thanks I am feeling better. Never know I might have lost some weight as well - :lol: :rofl: :lol3: Last time I weighed, I was still 7kg down since August. Hopefully I can move a few more grams before I go back to the Dietician in Feb.
Not planning much for NYE tonight either. Might see if my lovely neighbour would like to come over for a meal and a drink. Not sure I will last until midnight anyway. Not when dog gets me up at around 4.am. C'mon, c'mon time to get dressed for our walk.
Happy mammogramming! As if it could be enjoyable.

Happy - Got to agree with the hairstyles you and I are currently sporting. Mine looks great when it is just washed and blow dried. Other than that it waves and curls in all the wrong places and just looks messy and I can't do anything with it. Given the current heat and amount of sweating I am doing it generally just looks messy.
Be very careful with that ice and snow. The only ice I see is what I put in my drinks. Here we are with temps in the mid 30C's (around the 100F mark for the last three days) and doesn't look like dropping any time soon. Rain is a distant blip on the radar. You are at the other end of the scale.
I've got the paper piles to go through as well. I need to get onto those asap. I've still to finish the taxes and that will need to be done before the end of the month otherwise I could be in trouble.

Susie - How nice for your DH to be asked to do the honours for his friends daughter. He must be very proud.
My son used Uber in LA to get from a to b and he loved it. Thought it was the best thing. We have Uber here and I wonder how it is affecting the taxi industry. Still they needed a shakeup.

That's about it for now. Time to get up off this chair and tidy up the kitchen, put out the rubbish, unload the dishwasher and then go back to the bathroom where, yesterday, I emptied out the cupboard in the vanity unit. I'm chucking out stuff that has passed its use by date and stuff which has leaked all over a whole lot of other stuff. I've bought some storage trays to co-ordinate the contents. Geez we have a lot of stuff that has been there for a long time and never got used or is nearly full. Vitamins especially. And none of them are mine. I don't buy them or take them because I figure I don't need them if I have an adequate diet and exercise. And my blood tests never come back with the need to take supplements. As one of our prominent dieticians says - you don't need them in this country if you have a diet full of colour - every colour of the rainbow, every day.

Happy New Year to you all. Tomorrow is 2017 - at least here it will be 17 hours from now.

This site is getting weirder. I submit my post and nothing appears. I swear and go back to the forum list and lo and behold it tells me that the last post in our thread was from me. I haven't lost it after all. Nutso.

Shad
My post do the same thing now. I may try the fruit for a meal and see how that goes. Happy new years eve.

Happy
My problem is not planning ahead also. I've been working towards a goal in exercise and losing inches but now I need to work on the food and water intake. I can't use the phrase "I don't have time" for an excuse now.

Annie
My uncle takes Gabapentin for nerve pain. How is you ankle and foot doing?

Susie
Sounds like you and Dh enjoyed the outing. Bet DH was happy to get new clothes in a smaller size.

----------
I've been busy this week. We picked up my niece from the airport last Sunday. Then on Monday had a Christmas celebration with my sisters family. Really enjoyed that time together. I came home Monday and woke up sick with a sinus infection which still hasn't gone away and wait for the person doing the cabinets to come. Still no show on him. My brother in law brought out my niece to spend some time with me on Tues but I was to sick to even enjoy her. She was happy though to spend some quiet time watching t.v. I felt better Wednesday afternoon so we drove up to Branson to spend some time with her mom. I wanted to go down to the cove and walk. She went with me. When her mom got home we went shopping. My goodness did we shop. Or should I say her mom and niece did. I get tired of shopping after a while. The next day I took her shoe shopping. I even bought 2 pair of shoes. Thursday afternoon we came back to the house to wait on the garage door people but the had already installed it. My bil was here but I was to relieve him. This morning we took my niece back to the airport and sis brought me home. We decided to move some things around to make room so I could park in the garage. I'm going to like having a garage.

Morning all. Or it is now, probably won’t be when I finish this post.

Ceejay – Boo on the sinus infection. :( Sounds like you had a very nice time while your niece was in town visiting. Yay for room in the garage for your car!

Shad – Yep, same here – I submit my post and don’t see it. All the more reason to continue typing it in Word and then copy and paste into 3fc. == Happy New Year to you!! :newyear: == Glad you’re over that bug, and I’m sure ODDU is happy about that too. == Re the mammo – different facility, slightly different procedure and it wasn’t bad. But no, not enjoyable. :shrug: == Good for you not taking vitamins – you eat very healthy and vitamins would be a waste for you. Me, well, I’ll keep taking them because I don’t eat as many colors as I should....

Happy – LOL, all of us eating our leftover Christmas ham. :D == If there’s anything I need to get better about in terms of clutter, it’s paper. I will have a resolution about that for 2017. == There was a lot of Christmas stuff for 75% off at the thrift shop when I was there yesterday – I ended up with a brand new Christmas-themed hand towel for a pittance. I have several Christmas guest towels – those tiny ones, but decided I wanted to have guest towels instead. Our half bath doesn’t have a vanity (pedestal sink that’s all sink and no space to set much more than a pump bottle of hand soap). So there’s no place to lay out the guest towels (top of the toilet tank isn’t where I want them), whereas hand towels go on the towel ring/holder.

Susie – Your time in Cleveland looked fun – nice break from the usual. Glad you found Uber so convenient.

Hellos to Annie and Dee.
==
My mammogram was yesterday morning. It was at the hospital, but it was a totally separate building and parking garage and it was much less of a PITA parking and registering, etc. The procedure was a 3-d one, and it went fine. I had to sign a form so they could obtain my previous mammogram films from my previous doctor. I hope that happens quickly – they need them to compare to the new ones so they can complete their evaluation.

Afterwards I stopped at the thrift shop. With their sale going on, I spent just over $20 and ended up with 5 tops, a Totes knee length hooded raincoat, a pair of new jeans, a Christmas hand towel, and some old school (incandescent) light bulbs. Oh, and a pair of basic silver colored ball earrings. I stayed away from the books – I can get virtually any book I want from the library.

After that, bf and I got a quick lunch and then went to my mom’s. She and I went grocery shopping while bf worked on the closet doors. He’s figured out he will be able to use the new track and installation kit to do the job, so that’s good.

That was about it for yesterday. This morning, thank goodness my former colleague sent me a text reminder about breakfast at 9 am, otherwise I would have totally forgotten!! We had a good talk over breakfast.

After breakfast, I bought gas at Costco, and stopped at the library and left with 5 movies and 3 books. Way more than 3 day’s worth!

That’s about it for me, so I’ll get this posted. Happy New Year to you all! :cheers:

Happy New Years Eve to all of you!

What a year 2016 was for us Worldly Women! We had ups and we had downs but I think we are all starting the year with a upswing!

Today is my DH's actual birthday and we will go to dinner at The Chop House in Dayton OH with friends and family. Then we all go home. I will most likely stay up until midnight and then to bed. I have church tomorrow morning.

I got all the Christmas stuff down and put away this morning. My piles in the office are files or shredded (I got a new shredder from my brother for Christmas...it is a heavy duty one--it is what I asked for). Soon I will start shredding info in my files. I hope to get down to one lateral file cabinet and move out the two I currently have which are tall. I feel like they box in the room.

I also cleaned out one kitchen drawer and one cabinet.

Once I have the home files cleaned out then I'm going to check with the local office supply store and see if they have any who people ordered and didn't pay for/pick up or got new ones and they took the old ones. If they don't have them, then I'll look for office supply warehouses down where I work and see what I can find.

I really want to streamline my home office this year. I am also looking for a computer table instead of a desk.

I told DH to be prepared, my January plan is getting rid of things in the cabinets and the garage and we would be staying home most weekends to do so. We spent enough money in December...need to recoup a bit and get things done.

Shad: It's 2017 already for you! May this year bring health and happiness for you!

It sounds like you had very nice New Years Evening planned with your neighbor and the dog will start you on your way to keep moving and getting your day started early.

Ceejay: I hope the sinus infection is getting better. Don't let it hand on to long. It sounds like you had a lovely time with your family and good for you for getting yourself some new shoes!

I do think you will love having a garage.

Laura: It sounds like you have yourself set up with books and movies for a bit. Very nice! You made out like a bandit at the Thrift Shop.

I hope the mamo outcome is good and that they get you your results soon. I hate waiting on things like that!

Annie: How was Paw Patrol with those gbabies?!

Happy: I hope you have been able to get the sleep you are needing.
If you come up with great storage ideas for the kitchen cabinets, please share them...I'm always looking for organization and easy use ideas.

I'm looking forward to 2017 with all of you and each of us getting healthier, more organized and most importantly loving ourselves enough to change the things we want to change and live our lives in truly happiness and our own purpose........we really are great people!! :hug:

:newyear:

Hi girls,

Happy New Year (early) except for Shad who always rings in the new year well ahead of us. How's it looking so far? :mag: I will come back later and put up a new thread unless I am knee deep in wine and sleep deprivation. Speaking of which - do you want to continue with the month to month new thread or go to a quarterly format? We can probably do quarters and stay within the 500 post limit. I am just not that fond of cutsie monthly titles any more.

DH and I went out last night to our favorite Italian restaurant and had a wonderful meal for our celebration. We are not fond of going out on NYE although the weather will be cold and clear for a change. After I get off here I will stick my nose in the freezer and look for something party like to have for dinner tonight. Afterwards last night we stopped at the casino. We didn't win either of the $5,000 prizes. Had a nice night - we haven't been out much at all since my surgery. I am heck bent (much sterner than heck but censors keep me honest) on pitching the junk in this new year. Pitching the literal junk cluttering up my house and pitching the junk on my body. I have signed up for a local weight loss challenge in town starting January 9 which runs for 12 weeks. I do not expect to win but I think it will be motivation to get on track. I am going to try a low carb diet which the doctor recommended. Spent a good part of today looking up and putting together a guidelines reference sheet. As for exercise I have my bike, will be starting Tai Chi classes twice a week on the 9th, yoga kicks back in on Wednesdays, I am going to join the gym temporarilly because DH asked if we can hold off buying the NuStep until spring - we have a boatload of bills and taxes due the first quarter of the year - a ton of money going outwards. I will join the gym (when I do yoga) for a nominal fee and use their new NuStep and some weight training work. I also have 3 ten punch pool passes and this is the IDEAL time to use them at the local hotel while the pool is fairly empty right now. I ordered some skinny fit jeans I got on sale over Christmas but if I can't exchange them, I will just return them as they are bigger than I thought they'd be and I hope to be down in pant sizes soon. I really hate this stretchy garbage material that is a poor substitute for real denim. :mad: I also am going to follow a 365 day decluttering program that I saw on Facebook last year. So I feel prepared to face the new year with a plan.

I went to bed at 1:30am this morning and fell into a deep sleep - perhaps the 2 glasses of wine I had at dinner helped. Woke up at 3am and noticed DH was gone. He woke up at 2 and was sitting on his computer. I went upstairs to check on him and that's all it took. My typical get 90 minutes of deep sleep and that was it for me. I tossed and turned from 3am until I finally got up at 5:30. My knee was bothering me alot so I opted for a full dose of pain meds and skipped the melatonin and Motrin PMs. I gotta figure out something to get around this insomnia. Actually it's not insomnia - come 5:30 I usually fall into a deep sleep and wake around 11am. So it's not that I can't sleep, I just can't sleep at night. And Tuesday starts the full schedule again so sleeping in late and ruining the day won't work either.

Near as I can tell I am down 14 pounds from this time last year. An impressive loss for me - bigger than I have logged in many a year and I seem to start off good and end the year right where I started which is not good at all. Call me names but I have decided I will prepare for the new diet but not go in earnest until after first weigh in January 9th. Last time I lost 5 pounds quick and then stagnated for several frustrating weeks. Will give me time to get rid of the last few temptations around here - not that there's many at all, mostly 2 Chicago hot dogs, 1/4 of a cheesecake and 2 bottles of wine. :lol: I wish I FELT like I lost 14 pounds. Don't feel much of a difference at all and you'd think it was worth at least one pants size.

I got your surprise package Anne - thank you !!!!! That was so sweet of you. I really appreciated it more than you can know. You are a special friend. :hug:

Susie - happy birthday to DH - I hope you have a wonderful dinner tonight. I admire someone like you who can have all the holiday stuff cleaned up and packed away by Jan 1. I just have a few things out - 1/2 I was going to put out I never did so clean up will be easy. I did get 2 storage boxes at the thrift shop so I will use them to repack and cull some items. (Just what MY thrift shop needs - more Christmas donations :lol: ) Actually right now everything is 75% off so it's hardly worth it to donate. I might wait until next month and then quietly put a box of stuff on the storage shelves. ;) Actually I would only donate better items that would sell for at least $5 and not leftover tricky tracky nicky nacky stuff that we can't even give away. Our holiday themed clothing sold well too so I may pack the sweaters and vests I have but don't wear anymore with it. See how you've helped me clean already? :lol: Good for you for cleaning up some stuff already - I will certainly share tips. Funny we traded out computer furniture for actual office furniture many years ago. When we moved here much to my sadness, DH did not want to install the tack boards and overhead storage cabinets - he said it was a royal pain to tear down and rebuild and he's usually pretty easy going about that kind of stuff so it MUST be really awful. I miss those things but make do with the long tables and file cabinets I do have. Thank you for your wishes and closing comment - we really ARE great people :hug:

Laura - girl did you SCORE at the thrift shop. Wow! There is a fabulous thrift shop - actually 3 store fronts just outside of Minneapolis. You'd have a great time there and so would I but it's a crazy long drive and definitely a girls day trip. We had a lot of hand towels at our shop also and I too realized that laying them in a pretty basket on top of the toilet tank was NOT a good idea. :lol: Sounds like you are well "stacked" :lol: for a nice safe and enjoyable evening. All you neglected to mention was the bottle of wine.

Ceejay - you are right, no more "I don't have time excuses any more" :D Even though you are very active and busy - see, it's easy to do. I hope we can all motivate and encourage each other to be more successful in the new year.

Shad - our blueberries come and go. Some times they are big and delicious, othertimes sour enough to put a pucker on your lips. I do find that the smaller the berry, the more tart it can be. Glad you are feeling more like yourself and can find the energy to keep up with ODDU - even if it's just resting by the air con. I wish you a wet week ahead with some much needed rain. I see today your sunshine arrived - thank you VERY MUCH - we have not seen it in the longest time and it's so energizing. Won't last long though but we'll appreciate it today. Happiest hair style I had was about 4 cuts ago back in the end of summer when she cut it in loose layers so I could just wash and "scrunch" it in anticipation of my surgery and no time for styling. Now it's more evened out and seems to have gone limp again. I guess we both need more layers :lol:

Annie - enjoy that wonderful seafood feast tonight. I hope the weather is favorable for travelling and that you have fun and laughs and enjoyment to ring in the new year on a happy note. Here's to a better year all around :cheers:

And to our missing friends Michelle and Dee - hope all is well in your respective worlds and that you are spending time with friends and loved ones. :hat: :hug:

Also I most sincerely HOPE and PRAY that 2017 brings people to their senses. I am so tired of the blind hatred and ignorant comments that people have for others that they DON'T EVEN KNOW as well as the undying support for those who are not worthy of a second passing glance. I hope people can find it within themselves to seek truth and tolerance and good manners and that kindness will make a welcome comeback - to both humans and animals alike. Happy New Year friends.

Now it's time to make my way into the basement, put on the cheater glasses I keep down there to read labels and my spare pair of winter gloves so I can dig through the basement freezer for edible treasures :hungry:

Time to close out the thread as well as the year. Happy New Year!

Don't post here anymore.

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