Way Over 40 #10
 

I thought it was time for a new thread. Besides, I'm having so much fun with the graphics I wanted to add a little bit of humor.

thanks Barb...how adorable:D

Siwa you can go to www.nioxin.com and read on it.....My stylist fot it for me from the beauty pro shop. Here sister uses it and loves it but I am so sensitive to stuff I will just have to try it! has a nice fresh smell to it and makes your scalp tingle. I bet that quilt is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Neat that you were the flower girl and they are having thier 50th! Congrats to them.........

I'm only at 5000 again today, but ahd to carry palnts in and out of the garage again due to storms, we did get 1/2 inch so far and no wind damage, but they are calling for storms every 12 hrs for the nex few day.

We had some icky HUMID days earlier this week but to day is gorgeous! Same temp today as yesterday but low himidity and what a difference. Can actually do a few things in the garden without becoming dripping wet in a fe seconds. The garden has really responded to the sunny days we finally had by blooming like crazy. Now we can actually sit on the patio and enjoy it.

Nothing else going on.

I think I had another sleep eating episode cause there is some food missing! :eek: I hate it when that happens and I always eat the "bad stuff" that I normally won't touch unless I have figured it in my pts for the day.

Had a bad storm here, no damage here but wow did it level some businesses and homes where dH works just down the road from us! So scary...an F4 Kansas type tornado it was!!!!!!!!! No one killed but a lot hurt...

Less humid today and I mowed and then off to the store, got lots of fruit but bought some donut holes too! (put them in the freezer) ;)

Nothing much happing here either. We will be leaving next week Tuesday or Wednesday to go to Pennsylvania for a training session with one of our vendors. We are bring on a new product line, and this will supposedly make that easier. The town is Exeter, which is between Scranton and Wilkes-Barie. We are driving, and our son is flying in on Friday evening, and we are going to spend the weekend in Phildelphia before going to the training next Mon & Tues. We've been through Philadelphia, but never spent any time there.

8000 steps today....yard work and some cleaning......DS wil be here for ther weekend.

hot and HUMID here! Staying inside after 9 a.m. Even then it was so icky outside. I just did a garden walk thru to check on conditions and cut a few flowers for the kitchen. I chose purple cone flowers, purple liatris and queen Anne's lace and it looks so pretty. I love my cutting garden in the summer. I finally have a zucchini that the deer missed.

My mom's 99 yr old aunt died. I really wanted her to make it to 100 cuz we've not had a 100 yr old in the family yet. Lots of 90+ but never 100.

CANDICE--Thanks for the nioxin info.

We certainly are low on posters here lately.

Now even Candice isn't posting!

We had a few days of high temps and high, high humidity and then POUF! overnite it's gone and we're oh, so happy! We can go outside again. 95 degrees and 70% dewpoint makes for grouchy uncomfortable people. The cukes are in at the farmer's mkt so I bought lots of them and also potatoes, carrots and raspberries. DH is crazy for raspberries. I just found this out--after 35 years! Men!-they just don't talk.

I made a fabulous dessert sauce last nite that I'll serve on Sat. Cherries poached in red wine with cinnamon and cardamom. It's served w/ice cream. I had a little taste and YUM!! I'm not a wine drinker but the alcohol part is gone after it's heated. There's also sugar in this so I used part Splenda. I'm just beginnig to use it in cooking and baking.

Talk to ya later.

Siwa...what does cardoman taste like? Did you use a liquid flavor like vanilla for the cardamon or is it a spice..I have a cookie press recipe that calls for it and I do not know what it is? :?: :?: :?:

Cooler here too..I love it...had to start watering stuff with the hose though too dry. My cukes are drying up already.. I love my purple cone flower too.......Your arrangement sounds pretty..... : :smug:

DS got back to shool ok..........cat goes in for shots today and dental check Tuesday.

CANDICE--Cardamom is a pod and is most used in the US in powder form. I can't say what it tastes like cuz it really has its own flavor. Lots of Swedish sweets use it. I used the powder for in my sauce but I use the pods in my Indian recipes. It's used to spice tea sometimes, especially in Afghanistan. Try it sometime.

DH and DS went to the cabin to do some work Sun and Mon and I decided to stay home to have some time to myself. It feels so good.

Minneapolis has a lite rail system finally. It's been under consideration and discussion for at least 37 years that I can remember and perhaps even before that. The first line is up and running so DH and I took it to see what it's like. It's a fast and smooth ride to downtown. My Curves once a month dining group will take the lite rail to downtown tomorrow and dine there. They are such fuddy duds when it comes to lunching. They don't want to leave our suburb or try anything new so it was a shock when they accepted this proposal that I made. For over 1 year I haven't offered a lunch suggestion because they grumble and moan when I do but I decided to give this a try and they went for it. I'm imagining that I'll have a group of ladies clinging to me as we walk from the rail stop for 3 blocks to the restaurant, for fear of..............fear of what? I can't figure it out! I often wonder how I came to be with such a group and why I stay.

Our wonderful warm (not hot) and dry air is staying with us and it's great to be outside every day. This type of weather makes you glad to be alive.

Hi Candice. Cardamom is used in lots of Scandinavian baking. It is a wonderful spice. I have been using it for over 30 years now and love it. It goes right in with cinnamon and nutmeg. It does have a taste all it's own, but is sure is nice. You can usually buy it in the small container, at least here we can. You should give it a try, and "spice" up your life :lol:

Hi Everyone: We are back from our extended vacation. And glad to be home. It seemed that there was a lot of cold and rainy weather wherever we went. One morning in Maine it was 48deg. That is on the chilly side for this Florida Chick.

We did see all of our kids and most of our grandkids. It was a good summer vacation, but I think we have sort of decided that is getting to be a lot of driving for us. I think all told probably around 3000 miles. A big circle. Florida, to Virginia, to Maine, to Vermont, to northern New York, to central new York, to Baltimore Md. and back to Virginia and then home.

Did some shopping and decided to get new tableware for the kitchen, dishes and all. I think we will enjoy it. At least I know i will, and as long as I feed him, I don't think that DH cares one way or another. He just doesn't get that women need to change their 'nest' every now and again.

Siwa: sounds like you and Candice have been having some not so goo weather. A quick rail should be fun. I had a lot of weeds in my flowers when I got home, and one very dead plant. They do well to survice the heat.

Candice: You could make some wonderful spice cookies with Cardamom in them. I bought some DaVinci Raspberry Sugar Free syrup, while we were away, and it is really good. Tried some on some Sugar Free, low fat ice cream. yum. Also it is great mixed with Club Soda.

Barb: Hope you enjoyed your Pennsylvania trip. Philly is an interesting city. So much history.

HOpe to get back to regular posting again. Ann

I'm writing this from a motel room in Wilkes-Barre PA, We left last Tuesday around 1:00. We spent the weekend in Philadelphia and did a lot of tourist stuff and had a pretty good time, except our car was broken into at the hotel Saturday night and everything worth anything was stolen, mainly the bags of new clothes we had bought at the outlet mall earlier in the day.

We sat through a whole day of computer training today and have another one to set through tomorrow, then we will start home. It's rather funny how much quicker we can make it home, than it takes to get somewhere!

I think I'll see if I can get some sleep. Of course no bed is as good as your own bed, and I have been having trouble sleeping. I was really proud of myself because I was determined to stay at least halfway OP while I was gone, so I decided not to do any snacking. (I usually eat something every hour or so in the car.) I did great until we went to the outlet mall and dh and son bought two boxes of Godiva Chocolates! It seems like once I caved in and started eating, I couldn 't quit!

Hope everyone else has a great week. I'll check in the next chance I get. I never know what type computer services the hotels have, and sometimes it's just too much trouble to try to get online!

Thanks for the cardamon info..I will have to look for it, our local store does not carry it.

Gonna try a new cookie recipe with lemon........Oh now..how many will I eat this time!

Got the cat in for shots today and dentist Tues for check up. Ran some errands and they chared me for something I didn't buy but it was colsing time and by the time I checked my receipt the door was locked! I will try tomorrow to get my 15 dollars back!

The lite rail trip went well with all 11 ladies and lunch in the "big scary city" went well too. Everyone enjoyed the day and liked their food. They really don't understand how to walk on city sidewalks tho. Just after we exited the train I noticed that they were walking 8 abreast!! We arrived DT early so walked around looking at various things. all in all, it was a good outing. Many of them thanked me for arranging it and wondered how we'll top this lunch outing.

Today I'm painting the entry and hallway. I'm trying a new "treatment". I want to add just hints of a darker color to a lighter one by rolling both while still wet. I've painted a couple trial spots and am now waiting for it to dry. I just bought a couple quarts cuz every time I go ahead and buy gallons I end up changing colors cuz it's not exactly right and then I end up spending twice as much. So now, even when I'm absolutely sure of the colors I still buy quarts and then go back to buy gallons. It's less stressful for me that way.

ANN--You certainly did have a long trip but wasn't it great to see all the kids and grandkids! 48 degrees is quite cool for a summer temp. I understand how you feel about new dinnerware. It will be fun for quite a while to prepare meals cuz you know you'll be eating with/on the items.

BARB--How awful that all your new clothes were stolen. Was the car damaged too?

CANDICE--Hope you get your money back. I recently notice I was charged for something that I didn't buy and never had any intention of buying. It was also a $15 item. I returned to the store and wondered how they would believe me cuz I had nothing to show or prove that I didn't buy it. They did give me a refund and they actually found the book in their return bin. The store was Michael's.

Siwa..glad your outing to the city went well:) They refunded my 15 too..boy you just gotta check those receipts!

Baked a new cookie recipe.. lemon cookies...way too good and 2pts a cookie, they are in the freezer but I ate way too many the first day!

Mowed today and did some floor exercise, laundry in now and got the bathroom cleaned. Got a bad hip again so been trying to stretch it out. Need to get an appointment wtih the eye doc, I just can't se good anymore and it's been awhile.

Well we made it home. Nothing more exciting happened. We are really excited about the new computer system. Siwa MY new clothes didnt get stolen, I took all my new stuff in, just in case I wanted to wear something new to eat that night, but all my husbands and son's did. Plus they stole my dirty clothes that I had worn the first part of the week. We had them in a plastic hotel laundry bag.

We listend to books on audio all the time we were gone, enjoyed some of them, a couple were really boring. Tomorrow it is back to work as usual. Hope everyone else has a great week.

Barb...that's awful about your car! I think it takes less time to get somewhere and longer to get home.......just my perception........

Candice: I agree with you. Going somewhere always takes longer than coming home. What's the psychology of this anyway?

Barb: So sorry about your stuff being stolen. It almost makes one lose their faith in mankind, or at least some of them. Hope this first work day wasn't too bad.

Siwa: your party sounded like fun. But 8 abreast on the sidewalk would be like 'no one gets through this line' sort of presentation to the rest of the walkers out there. How is you garden? You and Candice haven't posted any pretty flower pictures yet.

Just finished riding 4 miles on my bike - not a stationary one but the real thing. And did my stint at Curves today. got to be serious about losing my extra weight.

Good night Ann

Just sent my flower pictures in so in the next few weeks I will have a link up I'm sure:D

Made a big pot of veggie soup, used chicken broth, tomatoes, turnips, carrots, green
beans, zucchini, mushrooms, corn,celery, kidney beans and edamome (sp). Threw in
some garlic and sweet basil and parsely for flavouring. Comes out to be about 1 pt a
cup and made about 16 cups. Putting it in the freezer so I will have it handy when I
get in my hungry moods!:hun:

Anyone know when you plant your fall crop of lettuce? :?: We have had an unusual
growing season this year so not sure I should even try sewing a few more seeds. I
enjoyed my spring lettuce so much this year, hard to go back to the store bought
stuff!




Gotta stay out of DH's m&m's :m: :m: :m: !!!!!!!!!!!! Blew 10 pts!:eek:

DS, got mooved into his new apartment and his car got broken into,:mad: they smashed
the window and took out the Stereo. The police say there is nothing they can do, :chin:
this is the 7th break in in his apartment complex! (Downtown Des Moines, Iowa)

Storms today maybe so not sure how much sleep I will get. :dz:

Those same storms moved thru S MN but all we got was a little rain. Took out trees and some bldgs in the south tho. We had our Natl Nite Out party tonite next door. We had about 30 (including kids) turn out. Good food and interesting conversations. The mayor lives on our block so he and the police chief always visit our group and then a hook and ladder came later. The kids really loved that. They even let the kids go inside the fire truck.

Nothing new, nothing old happening here.

Glad the bad weather missed you Siwa..we are in a watch tonight and then it should be much cooler. Hope the storms miss us too!

Kinda tired..only got about 4 hrs sleep the past few days................

Walked 2 miles outside today.......................hips hurt..........Ouch!

Made some PB cripsy bars with coc topping...ate way too many but I also did 2miles outside again. sending the bars to work with DH!

Been busy painting the last couple of days and looking forward to another day of painting tomorrow. Too bad I've been cooped up inside cuz the temps have been great--not hot and not humid. DS went camping w/friends and DH went to the cabin yesterday to do some work. I had a Red Hat dinner last nite and also wanted to get the painting done so I stayed home. I even skipped Curves 2 days in a row! I figured up and down that ladder was enuf for this old body. Being home alone is not always a bad thing. Since I am painting the entry and hall there would be too much traffic if they were both home. I just hate all the prep work of painting but I really enjoy the actual painting. It sure feels good to sit and relax after all the up and down. Ahhhhhhhhh.

What a work out Siwa........What color are you painting it?

Did a 30 minute workout and terrilby sore from it!.....in hips mostly.

What a workout that painting turned out to be. It took me 6 hours to cut in around 9 doors, ceiling and baseboard moulding. Yikes! I thought I'd never finish. When I looked at my work today in the sunlight I saw so many places where I'd missed. The light on a cloudy day just doesn't work well w/my eyes. So I did some touch ups and then began the fun part of painting the walls. Even that took 4 hours today. Whew! I'm tired. I was so tired that I napped for quite a while. Longer than my usual 20-30 min naps. Now DH is doing the same in the high part of the stairway. I just don't like getting that high on a stairway. I had no problem doing the high ceiling in the kitchen but when steps are involved---no, no no. Now that my painting job is done I can see that I'll have to do a 2nd coat. I just want this job to be finished. The blue painter's tape is also removing the paint from the moulding so we'll have to touch that up too. Almost wish I'd hired someone to do this job. Only once hired a painter and was not 100% satisfied w/their work. They just don't take as much care as we do. Perhaps we're a bit too much on the perfectionist side for our own good.

CANDICE--colors are variations of tan/beige. I hate to use the word "beige" cuz it sounds so boring. Paint cans say the colors are Sawyer's fence (ceiling) and squirrel's tail (wall) but that's not descriptive at all. Sawyer's fence is NOT white but I thought he whitewashed the fence. I don't like white ceilings so I paint them various colors.

Sounds nice, we have hired a man to come do out out side trim but he keeps putting us off! It needs to be done cuz the wod is rotting. It's too steep for DH and me to do it. The inside needs it to and the last painters we had got paint all over the woodwork and our funiture, they were very sloppy! I want to live in a maintenance free world! :LOL:

Cleaned today so very sore..I am off to bed now!

Siwa: We have been painting too - our guest room. called sky blue, and when the first coat went on, it was too brilliant for me, and so three walls are a much lighter version of it, and then the bright wall is marbelized by using the light paint and a crumpled up newspaper. We did have someone paint it, and he is very good, and careful. So now we call it the 'Blue Room". Just bought a new white matelasse bedspread and pillow shams. It looks very nice, since the ceilings are white and the bedroom furniture is white french provincial style. Now I just need to get new curtains and cover some accent pillows for the bed and it will be done. DH thinks I just want to spend money. :D:

Went shopping for a new stove today. My oven died yesterday while I had a loaf of bread baking. UGH!! And the bread was in the oven because my bread Machine died too. Just not a productive day for me yesterday.

We have been having a lot of rain, and in some areas flooding. Not here where we are.

Candice - I agree maintenance free, would be good. We are close to that, as we have lawn people, etc. but not interior.

Have a good day everyone. Ann

Yikes! the high temp was only 59 today--a record low high. Will we evern have tomatoes? It was so cold that I got out a sweatshirt and jeans and made chili for dinner.

My zuch isn't doing well. The plants look fantastic and there are blooms and then small zuchs form but when they reach about 2" they poop out and turn yellow and mushy. So I asked a master gardener what was wrong and she said they are probably not pollinated. No bees? she asked. Yes I've seen bees in the flower garden so why did they avoid the zuch? She told me how to pollinate them myself so I did that yesterday. There are male flowers and female flowers (the ones that form the fruit). I broke a couple flowers open and sure enuf, they look different. This was a real botany lesson for me. Now I'm anxious to see if my pollination works.

ANN-I might consider hiring a painter but how does one know (when it's the first time) if the painter will be careful. The freezer section on my refrig seems to have a serious problem. Ice is forming on a frost free. This same problem was repaired just 1 1/2 yrs ago. Unfortunately the Co. that repaired it is no longer in business. Sure hope it doesn't mean a whole new refrig.

I took a couple days off painting cuz I was very tired and now I feel rejuvinated enuf to put on the 2nd coat. I'd like a sunny day for that job and it doesn't look promising so we'll see when it gets done.

Tried a new Cookie recipe tonight and got a box off to my DS....they are a soft and chewy oatmeal choc chip cookie. DH does not care for them but will eat them! I ahve already eaten way to many................Mowing today and we have a skunk living in one of the buildings and digging up our lawn:eek: gonna call the animal control people to see they can help....I do not want sprayed!

Siwa..interesting on the zucchini, I have been picking mine while it is tiny so Id onot have to peel it. I have had more male than female blossoms though..wonder why?

Lizzie..your room sounds lovely and peaceful:D

A 62 year old jogger got hit and killed on one of our county roads and DH does not want me walking onour road anymore!

http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/hea...?promocode=026

Total cholesterol of less than 150 mg/dl—or—
LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)l less than 95 mg/dl —or—
Ratio of total cholesterol divided by HDL(good cholesterol) equal to 4 or less.

http://www.oprah.com/health/bob/heal...?promocode=025

http://www.oprah.com/health/omag/hea...?promocode=023

The painting is done.......well...sort of. I have a few places I have to touch up and when I pulled the blue tape off it took a lot of the moulding paint with it so that has to be done again. If I ignore the patchy baseboard moulding then the area looks good. Rehung the pictures on the wall and they look nicer with a nice color background. Went to the farmer's mkt again yesterday so the coffers are full again. Not only the coffers but the refrig and counters too--LOL. I actually had to buy zucchini! I have at least a couple zuchs growing now. One of them is one that I pollinated so I guess I make a good bee.

I made hotel reservations in Russia, Netherlands and Belgium yesterday so we're all set. Getting really excited now!

CANDICE--Of course, you tried a new cookie recipe!! Did you have cool temps too? It's a little closer to normal now, (70's) but still cool nites. My caladium didn't exactly bite the dust but they don't look very happy. Normal temps are in the low 80's so who would have guessed?

Made another new recipe a WW trail mix..yum..but I ate it all!

Just a quick note to say that we survived Hurricane Charlie without too much damage. We couldn't evacuate since dogs are not allowed in shelters, and motels were full, so we just 'rode' it out at home, and it was very scary. We will need a new roof, as we lost a lot of shingles. But we are very blessed, as many more in our park had a great deal of damage to their homes. And further south in Punta Gorda, things were twice as bad. It came ashore there as a category 4, and that is bad. comparable to Andrew in south Fl. We were without power for 3 days, but we were able to save the stuff in our freezer. More later. Ann

ANN--I was wondering how things were with you and Charlie. Sounds like you were fortunate. Three days w/o power is a hardship but really not bad when you compare to others. I never thought about evacuating with animals. Who could leave them behind? Was it quite windy at your place? DH was tracking Charlie for days on the puter and weather channel so we saw all stages of it. It was quite the rainfall in Orlando too.

Nothing happening here. Lovely day yesterday and raining today. Just 3 weeks and 2 days til Russia.

Siwa: How exciting to be going to Russia. I hope you have a wonderful time.

About Charlie - it was very scary. I've never experienced anything like it, and don't want to every go through it again. The wind just howled. And it was very eerie when the eye passed over and yet we knew that it wasn't over yet. We didn't begin to have the problems that so many folks have had. There are still thousands without power. Ice and fresh food is becoming a difficulty for many, and also safe water. We take so much for granted, and it is hard to believe that there are many many people throughout the world that live their lives without the things we take for granted, like electricity, clean water, air conditioning, etc. We have raked up about 7 bags of leaves and small branches that were all over our yard. And picked up two bags and a box of shingles from many roofs, I'm sure, including ours. So many homes in our park really experienced a lot of damage. It is very disturbing to everyone, and it is having to pull together to make things work.

there are some crews of people now in the park to pick up all the scrap aluminum that has come off so many homes. Parts of our park just look like a war zone, but that can't begin to compare with what things are like in Punta Gorda. That community is about wiped out. Also Arcadia. There were pictures in our paper, and we keep seeing them on T.V. They are comparing this to Hurricane Andrew that did so much damage in South Florida.

Guess I've gone on enough. We just feel very blessed that we don't have many problems, and that there are few people who were hurt, none in our park. 'See' you later. Ann

Lizzie, that is just so scarey! I feel so bad for the people without homes, did you see the one lady that said she could not go through it again and is moving back penn! Boy this has been a bad weather year!

Been watching the olympics, some cuties on there:D Wish I was in that kinda shape;)

Two days at 18 pts now and I'm very shakey, trying to get a jumpstart again and get in the losing mode...too many cookies...and I have anooher new WW Cookie recipe to try!

CANDICE--I hate to break this to you but........you don't HAVE to try EVERY cookie recipe know to woman! LOL Sounds like you eat nothing but cookies. Wish I could do that and maintain 130#. I've not even seen that wt since high school!

ANN--All that you have described is just as we've been reading about and hearing on the news. Always makes one feel lucky.

Siwa..I love trying new recipes..and eating them but someitmes they are not worth making again. I always put a red star by the ones I like.....got lots of red stars now! :lol: I am trying to make it through another low pts day.............tha means no cookies!

Is anyone watching the olympics, it's a shame they do not have many spectators this year and with it being in the home of the olympics to boot! The mens swim relay team really had a great race and we took home the gold! The girls gymnastic team took the silver and the mens too.

Candice: Found a no-bake cookie recipe on the WW news letter. one point each. Only makes 16 tho' But they are good. I keep them in the freezer. I thought of you when I was making them.

Our park is beginning to get cleaned up from Charlie. but there is a lot of building to go through yet before we can get back to normal. The roofing guy came to give us his estimate today. I sure hope the insurance kicks in.

Where is everyone? Ann