Hi ladies,

Back again. Another disaster at Tai Chi. I can understand now while several ladies have told me they are drop outs. You just have to stick with it and keep practicing all the time until the movements become automatic - like driving. I'm sure being older fits into it also so this is probably good for the brain also. I can do the upper body fine OR the lower footwork fine but put them together and who what where when why??? I am a bit frustrated and discouraged but will not give up.

After class DH picked me up and I went grocery shopping and he went to the hardware store to buy parts to fix his shower plumbing. Came home, had lunch and I took a nap. It was snowing outside and when I woke up we had about 6 inches of light fluffy snow. I went out to help DH shovel and 10 deer showed up. They seemed to be nervous eating while we were making noise, so we came in and here I am. I will probably make a salad for dinner with rotisserie chicken, fresh greens and vegetables and a slice (but just one) of the fresh Italian bread I bought today. Otherwise we are having steaks, pork chops, roasted chicken and baked cod on the menu for the rest of the week. And lots of vegetables. I didn't go overboard with my eating - ie. veggie pizza on thin crust with very little sauce or cheese but still - it was not on plan eating and I need to get my religion again.

Tomorrow there is a restaurant in town that does pop up lunches - he is a caterer also. He's doing Thai by popular request. I will pick up my lunch before my shift and eat there, then I have to run across the street to a meeting with the banker before my shift starts.

Here's a picture of the NuStep T5XR we are getting. This is not me or DH on it It weighs around 300 pounds and has a fairly long "footprint" which means it needs a bit of room on the floor. You get both arm and leg cardio on it.

Annie I wanted to thank you. I read your I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm blessed mantra today and I carried it with me all day. It did help to elevate my mood and spirits. Thank you for that. I'm sure there are days when one would say it via gritted teeth but you helped a friend today. As for the coffee, I actually nuke it for 30 seconds after the Keurig brews it. It doesn't seem to stay hot very long so when I chug it after 20 minutes - it's not quite iced but often feels that way. I burn my mouth on pizza and soup - and sometimes tea! I guess burning your tastebuds into shock is one way of dieting Just thinking - one area at the commune for cheater eyeglasses (well maybe more than one place) and another for cattle prods. We are going to have a commune like no other - I know Tylenol is hard on your liver, didn't realize that Motrin and Aleve and such is also hard on the heart. What - NO PAIN RELIEF????? At all? Just sitting around rubbing each other's aches?????? Glad to hear the family is doing well. Are the kids doing after school activities?

Laura - I had to do the commute downtown on crutches when I broke my tibula/fibula/leg. It was HORRIBLE. I had a backpack and I did the bus to Michigan Avenue. If you can work at home, please do. My boss in Memphis gave me the stink eye when I asked the doctor to PLEASE give me a work from home pass after bunion surgery. She was really nasty about it but I had ADA and the doc on my side. ESPECIALLY when she was pulling all sorts of crappola herself. I know you will work hard and get things done. It's also very hard to elevate your foot at work if you need to do that. Trash cans inverted set your foot a bit too high. I hope you feel better and heal quickly. The only way I like raw celery is with that awful cheese in a can on it. Hardly diet friendly. Ok, no crudites at the commune. Yes you are right about SS not covering your expenses. DH got a $5 a month increase this year - after no increases for the last 2 years and that was eaten up by the increase in medical premium and then some. You wind up losing each year so if that is your only means of income, you are going to have lots of issues. SOrry you are bored at home laid up - can you stock up on books to read? Of course when you are immobile, the last thing you seem to want to do is sit. I hear Netflix has a 30 day free trial if you are a new subscriber. You can binge watch TV.

Ceejay - how was lunch? That sounded quite tasty. Do you have any snow right now?

Hi Shad - how did the planting go?

Susie - do you think the team building exercises really work? It seems like a nice thing to do with people you actually like How's the sinuses?

Alrighty - break is over. DH approved the salad supper and is ready to go back out. I need to dig out my super big snowmobile boots - not that I snowmobile but I got them at Lands End and they are really sturdy. The deck is kind of slippery, even with my better snow boots. That stain we used wasn't the best idea. I'm hoping I will not slip with the snowmobile boots. I will do the deck while he plows. I guess I got my exercise in for the day - good thing!!!

See you tomorrow ladies.

I am healthy, I am happy, I am grateful, I am blessed.

That being said...shootie heck, shootie heck, frickity frack. My boss, whom I love and he saved my life, is retiring at age 56. He said he has more than enough money which to live, won't collect SS till 65 or after nor draw on his retirement from here. Lucky dog. His wife is a school teacher and about 7 years younger than he is and will continue to work. That's where his health insurance will come from. Some people have all the blessings, others not so much. He is going to be a stay at home husband, keep house and do the cooking. I am sure he will put his personal training to use with clients. Yes I got weepie eyed when I left work yesterday. He told me about 4 pm, just before I left for home. His last day is February 10, two weeks.

I will come back for personals, much to do.

I am healthy, I am happy, I am grateful, I am blessed.

Last night was very fattening chicken ring. Crescent rolls spread out, then cooked chicken, cream cheese, butter and mixed veggies creamed together, placed on crescent rolls sealed and baked. Caesar salad. Moo moo buckaroo. Easy but NOT diet friendly. Off to bed.


HAPPY...yes my mantra is said with gritted teeth today. I am just going to keep saying it till I ungrit. ha. I made C repeat it after me this morning while he was in the shower. HOpefully he will carry it with him also as work is getting the best of him. You be careful out there shoveling which you have no business doing considering your knees and feet and general overall aches and pains. Glutton for punishment. Did you stay vertical while out on that slippery deck? Tylenol, Aleve, Motrin all of it is hard on my heart and liver both. I use a lot of rubbing, stinky stuff when the pain gets too much. If it is a headache then I try to drink more water. I JUST HAD A GREAT IDEA! Did you see the fireworks in the sky? Our commune can be THE SPECIAL NEEDS commune. Kind of funny yet kind of true. With the ramps needed for our replacement surgeries and scooters, handrails all over the place and a HUGE medicine cabinet like no other, I do think we qualify as one. Good Lord I am cracking myself up. Bah. No after school activities are offered for pre-K. I am sure we will get Jacob back into baseball this season. Too cute not to. Girl while you are at the grocery, just walk away from the breads and bad stuff. I am sure DH could stand to stay away too. I need to stay away from the darn cheeses. The super Kroger has a tremendous cheese case with samples. I sample and buy and eat it all. Usually by myself. The NuStepper thingy looks exactly like the one I used when I went to PT after my heart attack. I actually didn't mind it at all. <---yes I said that. lol. 300 lbs, wow just 6 lbs lighter than my pre-bariatric surgery weight. A whopping 306 I was. Speaking of weight...our WI today was not so great. Gaye was up 1, I was down 1 but was up 3 the last time. So I am still 2 heavier than I started and Gaye is 2 lighter than when we started. THe more I TRY the more I suck. I do better when I just go along and be good on my own.

LAURA...haha, yes great score on the veggie trays, now if I could remember to bring the bagged veggies to work to snack on. Has momma made any comments on her new abode? How does she like living closer to you all? More importantly, how does she like her closet? How is your foot doing? Crutches suck majorly. You want to use my scooter? So much easier and there is a basket on the front to carry stuff. Kind of bulky in the car but much appreciated when using it. Can I send you one of my adult coloring books? Not adult x-rated, just an adult coloring book with some pencils. You see, exercising is not good for us. SUSIE, you and next HAPPY all injured from exercising, frankly I can injure myself without exercising, it is just not good for you.

CEEG...I love BLTs, but cannot eat all that much bread and by the time I make mine which is usually last, there is not enough bacon for a sammie (Mellie-ism). Plus everyone is ready for their 2nd one, just a fiasco for me. I guess I should make more than one package since the bacon used to come in 1 lb packages and now it comes in 12 oz packages at a higher price. Not tricking me any.

Bout it here, need to get some things done. My heart is sad about my boss and DON'T know what that means for me as his position can be filled and worked from any WF locations. YIKES again. Here we go.

HAPPY, HEALTHY, GRATEFUL, BLESSED and many hugs.

Good morning ladies,

I am happy, I am healthy and I am blessed. Well, *sigh* nothing in going on in my life that is more sad than Anne's news. I know the sadness that reaches to the depths of the pit of your stomach when he unintentionally delivered that blow. Good bosses are HARD to find. I hope there will be another who can/ /will do for you. But I know your sadness. I hope he will be happy and hallelujah for him escaping early. And having a much younger wife willing to support him - that's a miracle in itself!!!! I am sad for you... Yes, the NuStep is the new "hot thing" in therapy. I think it accomplishes the job and is easier than other more conventional exercises/exercisers. I have a treadmill, air dyne bike, NuStep and all sorts of exercise dvds and equipment so the therapy room at the commune is ready for action ladies. I should be a size 3 again if only I was more motivated.

Thank you for your concern about me shovelling. We got about 6 inches of snow - it was feather light but good packing so I was able to use the snow pusher to push it off the deck with minimal lifting. I also used the broom to clean up and believe me, that was more work than pushing the snow! But I am careful - take breaks and when I was done, I knew enough to come in. I had to help DH though - he is hurting worse than me lately and I could not let him do it all himself. He was grateful for the help.

Your chicken ring sounded yummy although I can imagine it's a calorie bomb. Even with lots of vegetables. There is a restaurant in town - the owner has a catering business. He tried to open a restaurant, bought a building and everything and his food although good was on the higher priced end and could not sustain a business in this tough town. He occasionally does a "pop up" serving of some ethnic lunch plate. Last time was gyros which were fantastically amazing. Today he is doing Thai - chicken curry, cilantro rice, pork rib, napa cabbage slaw. If you are doing low fat - it's a great lunch. I just plugged it into MyFitnessPal estimating as much as possible. OMG - it's a total disaster if you are counting carbs as I am. Good thing I have a very simple lean protein and steamed veggies planned for dinner tonight. I am up 2 pounds from last week. I agree Annie - the more I focus on weight loss, the more it just messes with my head. *sigh* And I hear you sister on the beauty of a lovely cheese spread. There is a cheese bar up in Duluth at the grocery store I go to when I get sushi. I try not to linger there. Kroger in TN had a great layout too with lots of samples. I love CHEESE. But I am NOT a cheddarhead nor will I ever be.

Did I mention I ordered a box of Honeybell oranges from the place I get my peaches and navel oranges? They are from Florida and OMG are they wonderful. Sooooo juicy and sweet but with a tang of tangerine too. I had one yesterday for lunch. The best part of my day. I put too much emphasis on food

I have a busy day ahead so at least I will get movement in.

Looks like just me and Annie in here so far so I will wait until later to catch up. I need to get ready - gotta pick up my lunch at 11, then a noon meeting with the bank about our credit card machine at the shop and will get training on the new chip machine and then my shift for the day. Just enough time to tidy up a bit, shower and out the door. Have a good one everybody.

Yeah, I made it here!

Things got crazy this weekend with all the running around we did. We had fun with the nephews. We watched them play video games, went out to eat, they also had ice cream (I did not) and then watched a movie at their house. I can't even remember the name but they loved it.

Saturday was a gymnastics meet for Bryn. It wasn't a great meet for her. She was first on bars and her hip circle was a bit off and her score showed it. She let it get in her head and took a bit to get out of it.

She did have her best score this year on the vault and she has been working hard to improve it...so she was smiling a bit at the end and she did take 3rd place for vault.

I was so tired when we got home from the meet, that I just couldn't force myself to get on the exercise equipment and I just went to bed. I think it was a positive thing as my foot is feeling much better.

My sinus issues are doing better as well. I am back to exercising...did 60 min on the treadmill this morning. I'm working from home today because I am going to a concert tonight with BFF who won tickets to see the Luminars. I only know one song they sing but I'll know more after tonight!

I'll have to come back and do personals later. I must get back to work.

I'll take a break later.

I am also taking up the mantra: I am happy, I am healthy and I am blessed!

Afternoon all.

Happy – Good for you having meals planned out for the rest of the week, for dinners at least. Yum, Thai for lunch today!! Does your dh plan to use the NuStep also? == Re your comment to Annie about re-heating your coffee – I need to do that at home these days because it cools so quickly and not just to lukewarm, but nearly cold!. At work I have a thermal mug with a lid and it stays warmer longer. == Thanks for the sympathy/empathy re the downtown commute on crutches. It was awful. After work, one of the conductors for my train saw me coming and asked if I wanted a lift and I said “I’ll take one!”. By then I was wiped out from the day of crutches even though I was on them as little as possible. So he used the lift for handicapped/wheelchairs that’s on the last car of the train so I didn’t have to do the steps manually (though I didn’t have any issues that morning). He also gave me a lift when I got to my station.

Annie – Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you’re losing a good boss and your lifesaver!! But how nice that he can swing retirement at a young age. But if he’s a personal trainer type guy, he’s very healthy and will be retired for a long time - I hope he and his wife have a lot of $$$. But if he pursues personal training for $$ alongside his house-husband duties, he will be more than busy enough. I hope he puts in a good word for you, and that his replacement will work out of your office and be a good boss for you. == Yes, I want the knee scooter! Best to wait and see what the orthopedic doc says on Thursday. I guess the commune will also have a closet full of medical equipment – cane, walker, scooter, crutches, braces, etc. === Exercise???? I was just walking to get to where I needed to go, i.e., work. Especially since I sure can’t afford to drive to work and park, or take taxis between the office and the train station.

Susie - Yay for that HOUR on the treadmill today! Happy to hear your foot & sinuses are feeling better.

Hellos to Ceejay and Shad.
==
Today’s work at home was of course unproductive for a good chunk of the AM trying to work out remote connection issues. Now it’s going okay except slow as molasses. Might try tomorrow in the home office for a stronger wi-fi connection.

As I commented to Happy, my day with the crutches yesterday was awful. Came home with sore shoulders and worn out. Steps on crutches must not register – my pedometer showed 337 for yesterday. Today’s steps are 193, lol. Sure am staying off my feet.

I got a call to remind me to make a follow-up appointment for my extra mammo images. No chance fitting it in on the same day as my orthopod appointment – next available date was 2/10. The appointment will take 2.5 hours as the radiologist will read, evaluate and report the results during the appointment. And they only do that M-F, 7 am-2:30. How convenient! Not. So I made the appointment for 2/20, Presidents Day, my next work holiday. Glad I get to enjoy that day. Whine, whine. Annie, I need to join you and Happy with that mantra. I am HHG&B!!

Thanks Happy & Annie for your suggestions to keep me busy, but work will keep me busy enough during the week and I do already have Netflix, cable, and books for the weekend. Oh, and the weekend would be a good opportunity to tackle the mail basket again. Speaking of mail… finally received my new debit card. Also my W-2. Not thrilled to have received the property tax bill. Haven’t even wanted to open it yet… But when I do, will grit my teeth and repeat the mantra.

Back to it. TTFN.

I am happy, I am healthy and I am blessed!

Well seems like a good mantra to me. Had a call from the Mater on Monday to say that there was no sign of disease in the organs they removed from my body. That's the good news. However because of the burst tumour in the original operation they intend to do chemo to ensure there are no lurking as yet unseen bits of cancer left in my body. So that is coming up - soon as they consider I am healed enough to start that. Am I looking forward to that. Not a lot.
The boys are not happy about the chemo. They are asking questions and looking for the why - if there is no disease. I keep telling them that it is preventative medicine and that it is not a problem and I am not concealing any bad results from them. Thinking about it, they have never seen me sick - apart from the odd cold and dose of flu. In the 40 odd years that they have been on this planet they have never seen me in hospital (apart from when I have taken them there), never seen me as anything apart from their healthy mum. I think they are panicking a bit and imagining the worst.

Anyway - apart from the incessant constipation, I am doing okay here and getting stronger everyday. Just wish we could get rid of the heat. I am right over summer. Today is predicted 36C (100F) more or less. Send cold soon please. My power bill may require a new mortgage.

Annie - sorry to hear that your beloved boss is to take early retirement. While I rejoice for him, I know how you will feel about that.

Happy - The recumbent bike looks good, now just make sure you use it frequently. Don't make me come over there. As for the Tai Chi, I understand how you feel. These are slow complicated movements. I too took a long time to make the connection between upper body and lower body. But at the end of the course I did feel good about it.

Laura - rest that leg and I hope that the foot gets better soon.

Ceejay - Isn't nice when your siblings come looking for you. It makes you feel loved and wanted. Don't do it too often though or you might be on the end of a sibling telling off!

Susie - Sounds like you had an interesting weekend. Gymnastics is a hard sport. She will have to develop a thick hide to get her through all the mishaps and spills before she gets to Olympic standards

With that, I had better go and wend my slow way around the house picking up stuff, folding up stuff, cleaning stuff and putting away stuff until it is time for my next nap.

Samantha headed to surgery. Little did I know she was pregnant. Great. By that bf I don't like. However it is a tubal pregnancy. Prayers please and some dang wisdom for her too. Omgosh. I know I did not raise her that way. I feel like a failure of a mom.

Annie
Hugs to you my friend. Hope that you do get a new boss that you will like. Sending you and Sam good thought and healing vibes for Sam.

Shad
Wishing you well in the upcoming chemo treatment. I can understand how your sons would be concerned.

Susie
60 minutes on the treadmill is awesome. 20-30 minutes is all I can do before my bunion starts complaining. I was to tired to go to the gym today but I may try to ride some on my bike at home.

Laura.
Glad you stayed home today to rest and take it easy on the foot. Ugh you did have to mention personal taxes. I need to put that on my to do list tomorrow and call Arkansas .

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I had to have another nap this afternoon. Been very sleepy and somewhat depressed. I did talk with a friend last night on the phone. Today I text with a friend that lives in Carthage. We're making plans for me to come up there for a visit. Maybe this will be a good outing. Probably next week.

Good morning ladies,

Time to flip the calendar page to a new month. Since we and just 2 other groups are pretty much the only groups active on the Support Groups page, I'm going to opt not to set up a new thread for February since there is no danger of us sliding down the page and getting lost in the shuffle.

This month should fly by pretty quickly anyway. It's my least favorite month of the year. It's pretty dead here in town and except for the Birkie ski race the 3rd week in, might as well roll up the sidewalks and close up the shades Also by this time I am tired of winter cold and I usually feel like I will never warm up again, although this year the hot tub is helping with that. My feet are still often like ice.

So, lots of drama at the thrift shop yesterday which I was truly trying to avoid being a part of but got sucked into it anyhow as one side of the drama was my friend whom I feel was only right to defend. And we got a new credit card reader - one that allows for the chip enabled cards. It's not hard to use but it's different - and this is just going to crash the world of some of the cashiers. I posted a copy of the instructions. I'm sure 1) the copy will get lost within a week and 2) at least 3 cashiers will hose up even the simplest of transactions and heaven forbid if they have to do a refund Nothing much I can do My Thai lunch plate was delicious. I am glad that there was a true smaller luncheon portion so I can knock my fitness pal entries in half. The chicken curry was a dry seasoning over rice. The chicken was moist but no rich curry gravy as I expected. The pork ribs had a delicious sweet soy sticky sauce. I got a plate for DH as well and he said after he ate the ribs Nina poked her head into his hand and licked and licked and licked his fingers clean. Nina is a bit off in the head - she does not know how to properly eat a bit of meat off the dish but she just LOVES to lick DH's fingers. I think she got weaned too young But she approved the sauce. There was a chopped cabbage salad of raw vegetables with just a bit of the most delicious slightly sweet peanut dressing. I swear it reminded me of taffy/caramel apples. Both of us enjoyed that so I will have to recreate that recipe. Fortunately the square of coconut banana cake neither of us liked - it was too mushy - like it was not baked enough so it was easy skipping those unneeded calories. The food smelled wonderful. Even DH said so. And the ladies at the thrift shop were commenting also as I ate my lunch in the back kitchen at the shop. I sort of felt sorry for those going to the senior center for the special of the day "liver and onions"

Good thing I turned the calendar this morning as I forgot I have a cooking class on Thursday. I am hoping it's not going to be a repeat of what we had last week because we were supposed to be doing soups (last minute change of plans for him to fill in) and he kept talking about Virgin Islands cooking that day. And this Thursday is "A Taste of the Virgin Islands". Some of the recipes look a bit too similar.

Not sure if Anne will check in today. She texted me she got home with Sam at 2am. Sam is ok, hurting but resting. Anne was going to take a paid day off to take care of her and get some rest herself. Anne like I said I am saying some prayers that you get a break already - have had far too much worrisome things on your head and your plate lately. You need some good news like a long lost relative's windfall coming your way or even an unexpected refund check or something. And please don't feel like a failure of a Mom unless you went and abandoned your children when they were 6 months of age to go live the life of a reckless party woman. It's a different world out there than when we grew up. And when we were younger it was family and friends that influenced us. Besides our own personalities of course. Today with the advent of reality tv and the broadened circle of social media people just think way differently. Sometimes it's really hard for me to understand. I occasionally wonder what I'd be like at 25 in today's world. I'd like to think I'd be the same but probably very much not so. You are a good momma duck, don't beat yourself up if the ducklings frequent a different pond sometimes.

Shad - yes you are right. When one has been as healthy as you it's a shock to the children (or loved ones) that no one is invincible. Also the fact that there might have been a slight brush at losing you - I hope it reinforces the love. Not that there was any doubt about it in the first place, just that sometimes we forget to say out loud what we think in our hearts. I hope the chemo is minimal and quick for you. It seems like when it's done as a precaution, it's not as hard as fighting a stage 3 situation. I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY wish I could box up some of this cold and snow and send it to you. We are headed to another Canadian cold snap in a few days which will send the thermometer plunging to the single digits (F) again. Shame to keep all this chill to ourselves when you could use some too. Apparently the trade winds never blow north from Antarctica or does New Zealand snatch all the chill before it gets up north to the equator?

Ceejay - this is probably the last year you will have a more complicated tax return. After this it gets way easier and you can get help at the senior centers too. You mentioned a few times you have been feeling blue. Could it be from lack of sunshine? It's been a pretty gray winter up here - tends to shut one down sometimes.

Laura - yes, DH is planning on using the NuStep also. In fact we got the upgraded model mostly for him because it's got the heart rate monitor built into the handles of the machine and it has several programs of varying intensity that is more in his line of interest. As well as a more comfortable seat for his back. It's funny - when you talked about the conductor offering you "a lift" I was thinking in the more traditional sense of a lift being a ride in a car About the time I left Chicago they were just starting to install the assisted "lift gates" on the busses and they were also in the process of negotiating for new train cars. Funny to think that those "new" train cars are almost 20 years old now. I stopped taking the train in 1996 when my commuter train ticket from AH was $94.50 a month. Bet it's more now! WOW - I just looked up the fare (which increased today) - it's DOUBLED to $185 and change. Holy smokes! I guess still much cheaper than driving and parking downtown. I sort of feel badly because I knew of 2 people who bought weekly tickets (even though they were more in the long run) because they could not afford the whole $94 in one shot due to their low paying job. Anyway, as usual I digress.... How is your foot doing - getting any sort of relief by staying off it a bit more?

Susie - how was the concert? Are you still trying to use the tread desk at work? I swear I could not focus on walking and trying to do computer/paperwork at the same time. That would be deadly for me Good job on the hour's treadmill walk.

They have beef stroganoff at the senior center for lunch today. They are trying to get more people to come in and make use of the lunches and Tuesday evening meals. It really is a nutritious and tasty meal they do for the benefit of the community. I love that idea as much as the stroganoff and I'm thinking that one serving would be better than making a pot full at home but I really don't feel like getting out of the house and going into town. I'll be heading out for yoga in 3 hours anyway so might as well hang here and get some laundry done and a bit of picking up. Decisions...

Anyway chicks. Have a good day - the sun is shining for a change so I'm going to stick my face in the window.

Afternoon all.

Shad – So happy to hear there’s nothing bad in the organs. I hope the dose of chemo needed to kill any bad cells floating around looking for a home isn’t too heavy. Your poor sons. So unaccustomed to mom being sick. == I would love to send you some cold so your power bill can catch a break, even though what we’ve been getting in my area isn’t all that bad - for the moment, knock wood, etc.

Annie – Oh that’s awful about Sam, hope she makes a good recovery. == You know you didn’t raise her “that way”, so don’t feel like a failure of a mom!!! She is an adult person and makes her own decisions. I’m just sorry that another hardship has fallen on you, since I’m guessing she will not be back at 100% for a good bit. == Don’t suppose you feel any of those things in that mantra right now… but grit your teeth and give it a go – fake it ‘til you make it, yada, yada, yada. Big hugs to you!!

Ceejay – Sorry for bringing up t@xes! Re being depressed – I think Happy has a point about these gray winter days. I know Chicago had a very low level of sunshine in January and it just got so old. We’re having bits of sun peeking through today, so I’m glad to see it. Maybe if you turn on the golf channel you can see some sunny skies and green grass and trees. == It’ll be nice to plan an outing to see your friend in Carthage.

Happy – The drama never ends at that thrift shop, does it? It’s really too bad. == LOL re Nina licking off that rib sauce – it sounds yummy to me too! And so does beef stroganoff!!! Now that you’ve mentioned stroganoff, it makes me want to dig up that recipe Annie put out here a while back. == I hope the next cooking class is something different enough from the last one. == Yeh, the train tickets are expensive, and effective today is another increase. There were many years of mismanagement at Metra and actually many years of no fare increases, so now we’ll get them every year for many years to come, and even with those, they will still be in a bind as far as being able to make all the capital improvements that are necessary. My ticket now costs $171.00. Sigh. == Your Nu Step is going to be very much like those in the gyms, heavy duty and a lot of nice features. I hope you both enjoy using it!! == My foot is feeling okay, but I’m not putting any weight on it to speak of. I’ll see what the dr says about it tomorrow. I don’t want to set myself back by starting to walk on it too soon.

Hi Susie!

==

Had one of the long meetings we have once per quarter and it went alright, but I do kind of lose my work mojo after a meeting like that. Especially when I have to work on goals. Bleh. I guess I’ll soldier through that just to get it done and not have it hanging over my head.

Later today bf and I will go pick up my foot x-rays so I can bring them to my doctor appointment tomorrow.

No Pilates tonight & I might as well get a dr note to get some of my money back on the class fee because I'll probably be advised to skip classes for a few weeks.

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

Sam is a bit better today. Painful but not crying. Will post more tomorrow. At home today taking care of her.

I'm happy, I'm healthy and I'm blessed.
Had a productive day of cleaning then went to the gym for a work out. My hands have been sore lately and I've figured that it may be due to practicing the piano. After the gym I stopped by the car wash and washed the car. Now to clean the nasty inside. Since I've moved to Missouri my poor car has indeed gotten more bumps and scrapes. I may have some one to wax it soon and get an estimate on how much damage I have. The place where the basketball goal fell on my car needs to be repaired.
The guy who is installing the tiled called tonight to tell me he would be out tomorrow afternoon. It will finally be done.
Yes, it's February.

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Happy
My taxes will be different this year for sure. I usually have them filled out and refund back but I'm still waiting on some documents. I've located the company I've used for years in Arkansas just down the road. Hope I don't have to go back to Arkansas to file the taxes. They should have every thing on the computer.

Laura
Do you think the doctor would put your foot in a walking boot, like the ones for broken bones etc. Good idea on getting the doctor's note for the classes. I do think that my depression is from the lack of sunshine. Been tempted to get into a tanning bed to see if that helps, even though I've been told not to tan.

Shad, Susie and Annie Annie Hope Sam is feeling better,

Concert was fun last night and we had great seats! Before I went, I knew about 4 of there songs and I'm so glad I got to hear more of their stuff. Very talented and very entertaining.

I had one of the roadies flirting with me during the show. We were sitting by one of the tunnels that they were all hanging out in. He was cute...and told me he was 25! I just kept giggling....I mean...I could almost be his mother!!


Shad: I saw your Facebook post yesterday about the proactive chemo. I believe everything will be ok. I remember when I had to go with my dad to the hospital for a outpatient and how scared I was to see my dad in that position so I get how your sons are feeling. They just love you and want you to be here with them for a long time. And so do all of us on this thread with you.

Anne: Sorry to hear about the boss leaving you so soon. It's such a blessing when you have a boss like you have. Will you ask him for a reference before he goes?

I hope that Sam gets to feeling better soon after this ordeal. And lady, you are a good mom......you know we all make choices that sometimes aren't the best ones for us but it is a part of growing into true selves.

Laura: I am glad to hear you could work from home. Hopefully the wi-fi connection improves for you.

I have to agree with you about those "performance reviews" I always want to take the next day off at one of them. They take a lot of energy.

Ceejay: Right now the treadmill isn't hurting my foot but when I use the bike, my foot hurts after 30 min. I have no idea why, so I'm been using the treadmill more. You are doing great with your workouts !

I look forward to hearing what you think of the tile once it is all done.

Happy: The Nustep exercise machine looks interesting and I can tell it gives a good workout.

I am not using the walking desk treadmill at work anymore now that I'm working out at home in the evenings. But it is nice to know it is there to use if maybe I can't get a workout in at home some day and I can get on that treadmill....the thing is, it won't go more than 2 mph.

I still have my gym account at work. So, most likely I would go use that if I wanted to get a workout in at work.

I can only imagine the drama this new credit card machine will drum up!

It is nice that you type up and posted steps on how to use it. But you know how people can be with change.

I am headed to bed....see you all later.