Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler
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Good Morning. Aww, thanks Marcie for mentioning missing me. The last two mornings have been rough ones, John has gotten up, started the day off poorly and gone back to bed.
I did not make it to Bible study yesterday, I just couldn't leave John when it came time to leave.
Sunday, Jack came over, poured the concrete and then needed to wait a little to let it set up before "brushing" it to make the surface have some traction. So, he (and Gayla came over after a bit) came inside and we visited, while Jack made trips out to check the concrete every hour or so. With the cooler, damper weather, it took longer to set than usual, but that's better than too hot and sunny, the surface dries out too quickly and then cracks. It looks good, can hardly wait for the door. After installation, the threshold will cover-up where the new concrete meets the old.
I'm nearing the end of the "restore" period of this thing I'm doing, and have slipped back into old habits already, I'm my own worst enemy. I made a vegetable frittata, not a Candida recipe and it called for cheese. I put cheese in it, probably too much cheese. Tasted yummy, but when I splurge, I go overboard. Been eating a lot of yogurt, which I like so that's a yummy snack. I start back up on Blue Apron, expecting a delivery today, and those meals keep me on the straight and narrow.
Also, Sunday, after Jack and Gayla left, I was craving Mexican so went up to our favorite Mexican restaurant and got take-out. I got carne asada, meat and salad was good, but I also ate the rice and beans, with cheese, not so good. It sure tasted good though.
Marcie, your Thanksgiving dinner sounds wonderful, my mouth is watering. And, those desserts...Wow, what a meal topper!!!!
I'm still struggling with my email update for my cousins, I've got to get that finished and sent soon, or it will be time for another check-up and another update.
I got an email update from Sylvia, who sent it to many NMers and as they responded, it grew and grew. I'll post a copy of it here, remember to go to the end and read it backwards for the right timeline, ha ha ha
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Changed my mind about how to copy that email here, turns out not all responses were all on the same email, so I'll copy/paste each section, no need to read it backwards now.
First from Sylvia:
Hi and how is everyone!?
I just wanted to check in with everyone! I don't think I have an email for Jim and I am not sure I have a valid email for Pam (actually I have emails for them but it was with NutriMirror in the address) .. I know we all have FB but I was reflecting back to NutriMirror days and missing everyone.
Mark and I have been in the McGinty home since July 2014 and loving it. Well, Mark misses his big garage, but the property that we have is big and there is potential providing we have the funds to get things done. We started a landscape project this past spring, but had to stop when the summer heat was too much... we are picking back up again and hope to have the walls, and extended patio complete in the next few months.
I am learning so much about gardening by following the practices of Phoenix (they have an awesome FB page) and whatever I find from Las Vegas, (we don't have a FB page) I have the perfect area for fruit trees and vegetables. I have 10 yards of mulch being delivered next week. I have someone who provides me with chicken manure on a regular bases, I cannot wait til have my own chickens! I gardened in my previous home but there were too many trees that shaded the area of the vegetable garden that I wasn't having so much success. I currently have 11 fruit trees and anticipate to have 14 more over the next couple of years as I anticipate retirement in 710 days! Woohoo!
Alex is getting married in April to wonderful man - he is a medical transport pilot. TJ has not mentioned marriage but he is in a committed relationship with a wonderful young lady who is money wise like him. Our niece Sonja is a sign language interpreter and in a committed relationship too.
Life is good, I miss NutriMirror, but always so thankful for everything I learned and even more thankful that my children were part of my experience with NutriMirror because they are healthy and food wise based on all the changes I made with food choices.
I hope to get a response from you!
(((Hugs)))
Sylvia
Tammy replied next:
Hello SylviaAnna and everyone else,
It was such a nice surprise to hear from you. I am glad to hear that all is going well for you and the kids. Congratulation to Alex and I just know that she will make a beautiful bride. Is TJ still serving in the military? It's good to hear that you have more space now for a garden and with all those fruit trees you will have to start doing some canning.
Well as for me, I lost my job on Sept. 16th, but the company said they are hoping to hire those they let go back on January 1st. 2017. I sure am hoping so. I may have to find another job before then but we'll see, I'm drawing unemployment for now. Other then that I'm doing okay. I planted 2 Peach trees, 1 Nectarine tree and 1 Plum tree last year so I'm hoping to be getting fruit within the next yr or two. I planted a fig tree this summer but it didn't take, so I'll try again come spring time.
Well take care and hope everyone has been doing well.
God Bless,
Tammy Spindor
Back from Sylvia again:
Aw Tammy, I am so sorry about the job loss. Prayers, positive thoughts and energy coming your way. Yay on the planting of fruit trees! Yes, I am looking forward to canning. But as big as my family is and they are always here - they enjoyed coming here this past May and eating Apriums, peaches, tomatoes and any vegetables that were available, and I do enjoy having them come over. TJ has one year left, I don't know if you remember he is in the reserves, he is an expert marksman and he has been sent to coaching school in which he was top four overall of 75 and ranked number one in the pistol. Alex too is a sharp shooter, when they go out target shooting - Mark says she makes the guys proud! I have never shot a gun and don't care to and they respect that.
Sheryl, Wow you have had a lot going on in your life and yet still have such positive attitude. I am so sorry hubby is getting worse, but he is certainly lucky to have you. The Llamas are probably wondering why they haven't gotten their spa treatment. So Cookie is a rooster - that is funny! When my mom lived in New Mexico, she had a rooster and the bedroom we stayed in faced the coop and she said, whatever you do, do not turn the light on in the bathroom, because the rooster would start crowing because he would think that was the sun..... sure enough.... we learned our lesson right away.... so after that first night my kids would use a flashlight - too funny! I am hoping that I can retire in a couple of years, but with buying this house - although we put a big chunk against when we sold our house, it still leaves us with a mortgage. Our previous house, which we thought was our forever home - would have been paid off in February 2015. So because of this, I may have to work two years more for a total of fours years....but I am still hoping for two years. Like I told my boss, when I reach my 30th year in September 2018, every month after that I can walk away if I get mad! LOL
I have two Apriums (apricot, plum), two Peacotums (peach apricot plum) one golden delicious apple, one multi-budded apple (Anna, Dorsett Golden, Fuji and Gordon), one apricot, one nectarine, one Saturn peach, one multi-budded peach (Desert Gold, Mid-Pride, May Pride). I guess that is ten trees, I forgot one did not make it. Growing in the desert, what a challenge! But I am determined to figure it out. There are many successful gardeners in the Vegas, I just have to figure it out. The workshops I go to say that what works for one doesn't work for another, we just have to be out there - observing and try different methods. For the fall into winter, I have broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, radishes, spinach and an assortment of lettuces, fava beans, and peas. Each season I am finding that my plants are thriving.... the most important thing I learned this past spring was that in my previous seasons, I was over watering. It gets hot, you give the plants water.....wrong! I have a moisture meter and I was surprised by the length of times I could go through the spring without watering.... and my tomatoes did awesome! Thank goodness I have Mark to support me with my gardening... he is not the gardener but he is the builder and hunter. He has caught so many chipmunks - as cute as those little critters were, they ate all my lettuces, lots of cucumbers, as soon as the melons got the golf ball size - they were gone! I was getting frustrated because I was growing to feed them! This winter I will be planting a pomegranate, fig, two cherry trees, a couple of plums, and some citrus (lemon, orange and grapefruit)! My goal is to have fruit from May through October.
Well, I am signing off now. I have to get ready to go across Vegas to a garden workshop. A Phoenix fruit grower has come in to town today and I ordered compost and worm castings from him along with seeing this home with all their tropical and stone fruit orchard. I hope to learn some more today!
Friends always and forever!
Sylvia
From Pam:
What a beautiful surprise! Almost like NM!
My yahoo address is a good one.
Jim & I are doing well & so is the rest of the family.
I've been doing a lot of walking. My last adventure was walking 3 Missions with the California Mission Walkers.
Michael just returned from "Touring Mont Blanc".
One exciting thing, our oldest granddaughter, Savannah, is taking a "Holistic Nutrition" course & wants to be a counselor. Shades of NM!
Stay well all! Love & miss all of you!
Pam (PamelaAnn)
Then, we heard from Blazin:
Hi, all, and thank you, Sylvia, for reaching out! So great to read about what's going on with everyone!
Ryan and I are hanging in here in Kansas. It took us two years, but we finally accepted that this is our home and have settled in. Can't say I love summer anymore due to the excessive heat and humidity, but love living amongst the huge trees and lush green in the neighborhood.
We're applying for college right now, and by next summer, Ryan and I will drive him back to Washington State where he will be back home and out of the nest. My job is fantastic. I love the people I work with and it's interesting most every day.
Now I am off to try a natural remedy to unclog my bathtub drain. Sounds pretty exciting, huh? LOL
Take care!
Jessica
I'll post this and put more in the next post...0 -
Sylvia's email, continued
reply from Carla:
Good morning NM friends! This is so fun seeing all of you again. Tony and I are doing well. He is still playing hoop on Sundays and I am still walking. I finally have my weight where I want it and I know that the reason I am here is because of what I learned while using NM. Walking is all I do to keep the weight off and of course keeping those calories in check. Not eating much animal products has also helped to keep our cholesterol in check. If I may brag a bit … my blood pressure is at 116/64 and my cholesterol is at 140! I have never used medications and I am not so happy to see that if you keep yourself on a good path you can keep those meds out of your life. Pamela, you are and have always been my mentor for walking. I hope one day to walk like you! That mission walk sounds like fun. Well my friends I need to hit the road and do some walking and then it is off to Trader Joe’s for a few goodies and then Jumbo’s for some vegies. Our garden is in the limbo stage right now waiting for this heat spell to subside so we can plant the winter garden. Take care and keep in touch! Thank you Sylvia!!!! I didn’t see JC/Henny Penny on here so I will cc this to her.
Carla czoerun@cox.net
Heard from Tammy again:
Good Evening All,
Carla, awesome stats on the BP and Cholesterol, I am still working on
keeping my BP down, so far I am doing okay. The doctor last year gave me 3
months to lose some weight and bring my BP down otherwise he wanted to put
me on meds and I didn't want that. Well I did lose some but I'm now back up
to the 140 lbs, so I have gotten back on the wagon to try and eat right and
exercise.
I have adopted a Donkey that was rooming the neighborhood for about 3 yrs.
I don't have a name for him, I just call him Donkey. He is something else,
my next door neighbor is letting me keep him over at his place with his
horse, that way he doesn't feel alone.
Keep up with the walking and I'll do the same.
Miss everyone too. Take all, will talk again soon.
Tammy / Tally
From JC:
Hello All,
Thank You Carla for adding me to the list. Have not read all of this yet
as I am still a bit under the weather from Monday’s surgery. They
discovered a melanoma on my face in August and it was removed Monday. The
surgeon said he removed about a silver dollar’s worth of skin (the big one,
not the Susan B Anthony) down to the muscle. The surgery came to about a
quarter if an inch from the outside corner of my left eye. Now it’s just
wait for the results in 2 weeks to see if he got it all.
Will definitely catch up with you all through this wonderful e-mail. I
think of all of you often.
Wishing you all good health, JCSteele
From Lynn:
Well hello everyone! My apologies for taking so long to read this thread and respond. So busy here these days. I accepted a full time position with the University of Maryland in September and the adjustment of working full time and during normal business hours has taken some getting used to for our household. The girls have stepped up and taken on more responsibilities around the house, including getting themselves off the bus and doing homework and then packing their own lunches each evening for the next day.
I get to do what I love most, which is Nutrition Education; UMD is a land grant University so we receive the USDA's SNAP-Ed funding and I get to go into schools and teach nutrition lessons with food tastings. I also get to work with parents, and do some fun collaborating with food banks/ distribution centers, community gardens, and farmers markets.
Joe's parents have both taken a turn health wise and that has been consuming a lot of our energy as well. His father's Parkinson's has progressed significantly and it is definitely getting past the point when he can safely be at home. His mother just spent last week in the hospital after her primary care doc became aware that she is having absentee seizures (2- 3a day) and she is showing some signs of dementia. She is the only caregiver for his father as none of us live nearby and now she has never told she is done driving. Which is a relief but opens up another later in their care and concerns about them living at home. Naturally both want to stay in their home which isn't making any of this easier.
Hunting season is upon us so I look forward to Joe filling the freezer soon. The tiny tarts are not so tiny these days; Maya is now taller than me and turns 13 this December. She made it to the Scripps National spelling bee this past May and looks forward to being of legal babysitting age in a couple months. Annabel is 10 and is creative and funny and keeps life interesting. We adopted a bunny named Gatsby and he is allowed to hop around the house when we are home, he litter box trained himself and he makes me happy to have someone to share my dark leafy greens with.
I think that pretty much catches my happenings up. So nice to read what all of you are doing. Wishing you lice-free homes and good health. Tammy sending job vibes your way!
XXOO,
Lynn (Ima)
I thought there was one from Karyn, but I can't find it. Also, Susano said she'd write when she has more time.
Fun to catch up.0 -
Good morning everyone.
We are having a pretty, sunny morning. The rain is gone, but should be back tomorrow afternoon.
There was some excitement (not the good kind) in the neighborhood last night. Around 6 pm a police helicopter began circling around area and announced to everyone below that they were searching for armed 6 ft tall white male in his 20s (who I later learned had just committed armed robbery at one of the homes a few streets over from our street). We were all instructed to stay inside and keep the doors and windows locked while this was going on. They also had police cars and K-9 units driving up and down the streets looking for this guy. This went on until about 8:30 pm when a neighbor on the street behind our house noticed him and called 911. The police caught the guy, and then began the search for the gun and bag of stolen items he had tossed. Don't know if they ever found that stuff. All this started while Cisco and Dad were on the last walk of the day, so they had to cut it short last night and come home.
Sheryl, looks like Jack did a great job on that concrete! That's so great that the Blue Apron meals help to keep you on the straight and narrow. We went out for Mexican for lunch yesterday, and I also had the carne asada. They have a low carb section on their menu that I like to order form. Their carne asada includes tomatoes, onions, avocado, pico de gillo, and large lettuce leafs (instead of tortillas). Really good. Thanks for sharing those emails. I sure hope John has a better day today.
Back to work. Have a lovely day!
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Hi, week has been a quieter one - I like it but who knows how long it will last. The gluten free flour crust was okay. I found out the friend is not eating gluten free now but it used up a bit of the flour I had. Might make it for dessert this Sunday - hadn't made it for awhile. We had fun visiting with the couple we rode with, a good time there and then a quiet evening after we got home. Monday I had the entire day at home. I thought I made some good progress on my list but it wasn't much shorter at the end of the day so will keep trying. Today I had to go get the cookies someone made for Good News Club and then went to Good News Club - only a total of 15 but that let getting to help happen to more. The guys combined more corn - very close to done. Then the soybeans will be ready soon I imagine. With all the rains we had the corn made really well but the price is way down, so....
Tomorrow morning I go work on the Echoes and then church in the evening. So far I haven't had to do any babysitting this week. We'll see how long that continues. Alan and Katie went to visit the classroom that Ava will attend. I don't know what they thought or when she'll start. The other three did not come to Good News Club today so I suppose she picked them up so they wouldn't be doing homework so late.
I'm making some progress on using things in the freezer. I'm about to put a package of ribs in the crockpot - hopefully they'll taste good since the date on them is 2009. They are vacuum packed so that should help. Will fix a sweet potato to have with them. Ribs were okay. Worked on the Echoes and went to church tonight. Afternoon at home. Was going to make whole wheat bread but the whole wheat flour was a little old so made angel biscuits instead.
Sheryl, how did the concrete pouring go? That would be a smart idea to have the wood delivered. My sister counts on Alan getting wood for her. But they did put in a new furnace when they remodeled the basement so she's okay if she can't burn. She enjoys doing it. It won't let me open the site with the recipes so I'll just imagine the delicious dishes you're enjoying. Gluten isn't a problem for everyone so not changing that part is fine if it doesn't bother you, IMHO.
Marcie, having to watch out for bikes would be nerve-racking. We see an occasional one on the roads we travel and that's enough. Fun trying a new restaurant. A boutique in the home - interesting. She really had the house fixed up for it. Was this just a one night thing? Whew on the credit card being found so quickly and safely. Cute blouses. Fun to do a new wardrobe. Cool on the sandwich makes. It doesn't look too large. Enjoy. I don't pay as much attention to reviews as I used to. Something like that would be something the kids could probably use on their own too and she wouldn't have to do it for them.
Anew, the lunch crockpot sounds like a neat idea for your hubby.
Will send this off and hope to pop in again soon. Still need to do my list and the next two days look busier.
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Good Morning.
Debora, I went back to my link and I see what you mean, it's not going where I intended. I must have not done the link correctly, try copy/paste,
https://www.thecandidadiet.com/recipes/
These are very tasty and even though I'm not going gluten free permanently, I'll be preparing some of these again.
I have got to get my email update out, I got another email from a cousin who is "concerned" about us since he hasn't heard from us in awhile. Now, I feel obligated to get these updates out, that takes all the fun out of it. Although, I appreciate everyone's concern.
I checked on Home Advisor on-line for a "Handyman" to help us with projects that John can't do any more and I don't want to bother Jack about them, like getting gutters back up on the garage so the new door doesn't get ruined like the old. The fascia board needs to be scraped/prepped and painted before gutters go up. Anyway, I have a guy coming out this afternoon for an estimate. If this job goes well, I have a few more jobs I will hire him to do. He had all five star reviews.
And, Now, the chimney on the woodstove is leaking. It's always something. I had the roofer come back out and he said that the flange around the chimney is sealed well, but the chimney itself is rusted. Possibly a new woodstove is in our future. The reason I'd change out the entire unit is because it's so old, I'm not sure a new chimney would fit properly into the old stove and we've always talked about how nice it would be to have a woodstove with glass in the door so we could see the fire. That would be perfect, we like to watch the fire. So, after I get the garage door finished, I'll start in on the woodstove.
I guess that's it for this morning...I have to get back to my cousin's email.0 -
Ha, once I posted the above, I see my "copy/paste" URL turned itself into a link. Who knew?????0
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Good Morning. My appointment for the handyman got postponed, so I'm waiting for a call to reschedule. I guess the good news is that he's so busy...he must be good.
Yesterday, I went grocery shopping and errands, one errand being pricing woodstoves. The chimney is leaking more and more, so I decided something has to be done very soon. I found exactly what I want and it's not as expensive as I had anticipated, so I'll have them come out this next week and get started on it. The new stove will have a glass door, so we can watch the fire as it burns. I'm kind of excited for that, I used to love watching the fireplace at my Mom and Dad's house, growing up. I guess I'm a fire-nut. (But not an arsonist).
The cleanse/restore is all over, I lost 8 pounds, could have done better, but I cheated near the end. My own fault. But, better yet, my stomach is flatter. That helps me to be able to do more exercise to get in better shape so I can do even more. I have quite a few things that I will continue doing even though I don't HAVE to be gluten-free or sugar-free. Monica asked me to write up a testimonial, I did, although I don't know where she will be using it. I assume on her wellness site.
Today it's raining, but there's football all day and the World Series tonight, so John may stay in the house all day, we'll see.
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Hi ladies, not much going on today which is a good thing. Been getting caught up on reading e-mails and FB and now here. I made simple semi-soft boiled eggs and sourdough toast for breakfast today. Didn't feel like doing the whole big egg breakfast thing. Dan is going to take me to dinner tonight since I have been working so much. We are going to a new Asian fusion restaurant called Zen. It is owned by an Asian man who was in the restaurant business for 25 yrs, retired, didn't like retirement and now opened this little restaurant. It got great reviews. Jimbo's had a sale on chuck roast last week so I bought a 3lb roast and cooked it in the crockpot on Sunday. It came out really well and we got 3 meals out of it plus left over broth that I will make soup out of. So that worked out really well. One of those 3 meals was shredded beef tacos and they were fabulous! My friend Jami gave me a recipe for Linguine with clams so I will try that tomorrow. It calls for a diced tomato which I thought was odd but I like to follow a recipe as written the first time so I will put the tomato in and we'll see.
Debora, how do you make your creampuff dessert? Sounds interesting. Nice that you got a bit of a break from babysitting this week. I'm sure you enjoy it for the most part but it is nice to have a rest sometimes.
Sheryl, glad the cement job went so well. When do they install the garage door? I think it will be nice to have a new woodstove and sounds like you will be very happy with it. Did you purchase it already or are they just coming out to give an estimate? I agree that it would be good to work on forgiveness with your relationship with your dad. Dan is slowly working on forgiveness in some areas of his life as well. We all need to I'm sure. Great job on the restore. What is the next step? Just trying to continue to eat as clean as possible and watch portions? It is so hard when less structured. Thanks so much for sharing the Sylvia e-mail stream. Did you finish your cousin e-mail update?
Anew, that little lunch warmer crockpot sounds like a really good idea. Especially for those of us that don't really like to use a microwave as you said. I will put it on my wish list. I'm surprised you didn't post a link!
I tried to pull it up on target and you could see the picture but the site kept cycling so I looked it up on Amazon and will post the link here: https://amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPLC200-PK-20-Ounce-Lunch-Warmer/dp/B006H5V7ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477773429&sr=8-1&keywords=crockpot+lunch+crock
Marcie, the blouses you bought are nice. It is great to buy new clothes. I have always liked the "Avenue" clothing line. The neighborhood boutique sounds like it was great fun as well. I'd love to go to something like that. I've gotten glasses at Costco before. They often have a buy one, get one for 50% off deal. Your egg sandwich machine looks like great fun! I would definitely like something like that - I LOVE egg sandwiches. I'll have to put that on my wish list also. Surprisingly we are still watching all the new shows we started with. Our favorites being Designated Survivor and Pitch. Our favorite returning show is Younger which is a TV land original. Very enjoyable 1/2 hour comedy drama. I get what you mean about the wood smell now. So much of the wood used doesn't have the fragrance like it used to. In Colorado many people used pine and it always smelled so good in the morning on the way to work. How scary about the armed robber roaming the neighborhood. Glad they caught him. We usually can't hear what the copter loudspeaker is saying when they fly overhead so you either have to call or check the neighborhood site to see if anyone posted what they are saying. Usually it is that they are looking for a missing senior citizen.
Well, it is beautiful outside today and I have lots of propositions to read up on still so I am going to go sit outside and read my booklets. Have a wonderful week all!!0 -
Good Afternoon, I'm back in the middle of the day for a change. While John was watching football, I went up to Battle Ground, the town just north of us a few miles, to Morton's Stoves and put down a deposit and ordered the woodstove, the WS18. It's slightly larger than the one we already have and will take a 18" log. That's a more commonly cut length, our existing stove takes 16", and when I bought wood delivered years ago, I had to go through and cut all the logs a little shorter.
http://www.mortonsstoves.com/category/heatilator-wood-stoves/
While I was gone, the weather turned into a beautiful day. When I returned, John was outside raking pine needles and taking wheel barrows full out to the burn pile. He sure does keep busy and active. We had lunch and now, he's watching some football again.
Oh yes, the stove people are extremely busy too...we'll get installation on January 3rd. Whaaaa, I have to wait 2 months.
The garage door will be installed November 9th, a week from Wednesday. I was hoping to have the gutters up before the door installation, but now, I'm not sure.
Yes, Isabella, now it's a matter of being mindful of what I eat, eating healthy and watching my portions. This was a 20 day kick start to get me going on the right track.
Still working on that email update for cousins, I trust I can get that out tomorrow morning.
That reminds me, I need help. From the old NM Journal Room days, I remember a lot of talk about refined coconut oil vs. unrefined oil. I cleaned off the label on my old jar to put the glass in recycling and can not remember which is preferred and which one I bought in the past. Can any of you help me?? Boy, do I feel like a dunce.
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Wednesday went as planned. I stayed in the kindergarten class in the evening again cause Eva came. She joined in more but I may be going to the class for awhile. It's okay. Thursday morning 4 of us went to church and put the silverware on for the banquet and helped the decorating committee a bit. The foods committee was busy in the kitchen. I was home for the afternoon - feeling like I'm getting to a few of the thing that have been on the list - just never get that far. Went to Bible study in the evening. What a nice group of ladies I get to be with.
Friday morning was errand morning. Ralph went along this week. Extra stop was at the lumberyard - in the fall/winter, they often have good deals on fruit and potatoes. Sweet potatoes were $.49 a pound. Probably should have gotten more. We picked up a marked down sub which we used for dinner when we got home. I headed for the church and finished setting up for the kids. Hot dogs to the crockpot. Table in the hall with the meal stuff. List of kids and nametags made, rooms chosen to eat in. Could have babysat for both sons except I was busy this time. I was back in the nursery area till all the kids got there (two of my grandkids were the last two). We had about 40 kids and 10 babysitters. Then I headed out to where the adults were. The foods committee made us a delicious meal, we had fun visiting at our table, the speaker was good along with a fun segment of the missionary game (based on the newlywed game). At the end of the evening I went back to the nursery area and started cleaning up and directing parents to where their kids were. The babysitters cleaned up all the toys. I got my stuff together and by the front door so we could load and get it home and we were home by 10.
Today I was basically at home. I did run to church to put out some sign-up sheets for next year's committees. I got the house straightened. Made the cream puff dessert (again) and did deviled eggs. I'll put the tenderloin on in at bit. I got my bags of candy and goodies ready for all the kids. Will send home what I can tomorrow. I got quite a few steps in too. Opened the garage door this afternoon to get some egg cartons and saw a snake. I shut the door pretty quickly. When Ralph got home, he could find no signs of it, but I'll be careful when I open the door. It was just a black snack but I don't think I've ever seen one around here. Not my favorite thing. Thomas called earlier to see if he could spend the night. He was coming out to play volleyball with the Youth Group and wouldn't have to drive back in the dark. Of course, I said yes but don't know when he'll come.
Tomorrow the kids will be here again. Oh yea, I did hear that they liked the classroom that Ava will be in. She will be the 6th child and there is one teacher and 4 paras. They were working out who would be driving her bus so I suppose she'll start sometime this week. Molly is back home but they will still be doing therapy for awhile but if all the kids are in school, Katie might be able to get a nap in most days even with appointments.
Sheryl, the link worked. Interesting recipes but I'm not sure Ralph would try some of them. He will eat a lot of things, but also has some things that he would prefer not to have. So.... I hope the handyman works out and take care of things you and John can't do. Sorry the chimney is leaking but now you get to get a woodstove where you can see the fire and a better size. Watching the fire will give John another activity when inside this winter. Yay on the pounds you lost and hopefully, you can keep them off. Like you say, it's just being careful with portions and what. And it's something you have to keep watching all the time. Thanks for sharing the thread of emails. It was fun to read.
It's great that you have all you do around your place so John can stay busy. And he seems willing to let Jack do the concrete and other people take care of what you hire so that's good.
Hope someone can help you on the coconut oil.
Oh my, Marcie, glad the burglar was caught. Your Mexican meal sounds good.
Isabella, your easy breakfast sounds good. How nice that you and Dan were headed out for supper. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm like you to try and make the recipe like it's written the first time.
I put the cream puff dessert recipe in the recipe section. It's easy to make.
Thomas is here now so guess I should get off the computer. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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Good Morning. Finally got my cousins' email update sent off. So funny, I started off by saying this was the hardest email to write because I have no new and exciting news and then preceded to write a page and a half. Still, really nothing new and exciting, mentioned the new deck and working on the garage door and gutters. Well, easiest thing to do is copy/paste it here, most of it you already know.
Update as of October 30, 2016
Good Sunday Morning.
For some reason, this update has been the hardest one to write. I guess because I want to give you new and exciting news, and I have none. I’ve written and read it, reread it and back-space it out.
I can be thankful that we’ve fallen back into mundane life of planning chores and trying to get them done.
My check-up with my oncologist was a routine appointment. All blood work and tests were good and within normal parameters. I go back in January.
I also had an appointment with my PCP last month and finally got someone to take heed to my wanting to reduce the blood pressure medication that I’ve been taking. Way back at the beginning, when I was so sick and not knowing why, and being misdiagnosed, my blood pressure was high. A cardiologist put me on meds. From the time I started cancer treatment to the present, my blood pressure has been in the normal range, but I was told that was due to the meds. I felt that my BP was high solely due to the stress and frustration of going from doctor to doctor and not getting answers. Now, I’m being weaned off of the meds and my BP is still normal.
I’m still having some breathing problems and getting enough air through the vocal chords to talk properly. I got another referral for the ENT to check on the status of the left larynx and also a referral to a lung specialist to check on my respiratory system. I just run out of breath to quickly when I exert myself.
I was excited to be able to get back to chores and projects this past summer, but, the summer went too fast and not everything on my list got completed. The things that we did get to went fairly well, although we work much slower these days. We tore out the old rotten deck and had a new PVC/vinyl one installed. Looks great and is safe and best of all, no maintenance. We’re working on the garage doors and gutters before we get into the extreme rains. We got some fence repair done, but most sections started and not completed yet. And, always raking and weeding, which makes the yard look good temporarily, but soon needs to be done again. John is really good handling this ongoing process. He stays active and spends most of his time outside. I will be put to the test in the next few months trying to keep him occupied in the house during the winter weather.
As I’ve stated in previous emails, John is very gradually getting worse. What an awful disease that creeps in and destroys. Dealing with it daily, it’s become the norm for us, but there are times when something will happen that shocks me into the realization of how devastated John must feel. Sometimes, we sit down for lunch and he just sits there…doesn’t remember how to put a sandwich together.
He still won’t relinquish his old International Harvester trucks and talks about working on them, even while saying in the same sentence that he can’t anymore. That’s his control, just having them, and he isn’t ready to lose that.
Naturally, he gets upset more often over little things, which are big things to him.
Mom is getting weaker physically because she is doing less and less. We’ve tried to encourage her to participate in more activities, but she seems most content staying in her apartment. There is a fitness class that she could benefit from, but she’s not interested in even trying it. Everything we suggest, she says she can’t, it would be too tiring. It’s too bad since the less she does, the less she is able to do.
I guess that’s it for now. Thank you for all your love and prayers.
Love, Sheryl
Debora, thanks for the recipe, it sounds so delicious. I love cream puffs, but need to restrain myself. In the process of looking at that post, I was reminded of your Prince cabbage salad, I have cabbage and apples in the fridge, guess what I'll be making today.
I checked FB and saw that my friend who had a stroke has now been moved from the hospital to rehab. Still a long road ahead of him, but his son wrote that he is showing his great sense of humor through this ordeal. I just love this guy.
I also saw on FB, that Christina was in the ER again yesterday, not sure of details, I haven't talked to her directly. I'll share details when I get them.
Debating whether I should start a fire this morning...it's chilly, but forecast to rain and if the woodstove is hot, I can't wrap towels around the leaks. What a dilemma. I'll be so happy when the new woodstove is installed. And yes, Debora, you're right, watching the fire will be enticing to John, and to me. We'll wile away the hours staring at the box.
I guess I'll continue to send email updates out today, I got the family taken care of, but now I'll go through some friends' email addresses. I have lots of duplicates and incorrect addresses in the computer, but can't figure out how to get in there to delete those. I change the "Address Book", but it doesn't affect the list of addresses that come up when I click "Send To". Once again, the computer got the better of me.
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Good Morning. I saw more on Christina on FB, still haven't talked to her directly, but it sounds like her heart rate went wild, super rapid. She sees her cardiologist today.
I got an email from the handyman and he'll come out next Thursday. I doubt that the gutters will get up before the new door arrives, I only hope it's not raining during installation...the poor guy will get soaked.
Marcie, I forgot to tell you, this past week, I placed an order from Amazon and to bring up the total to get free shipping, I ordered the same kind of mouse that you have. I'm anxious to have it for the HP computer in the back bedroom. I have limited space back there and usually run out of room on the table for pushing the existing mouse around. I doubt I'll use it on the Dell, because John does not take well to change. But, we'll see, you never know what he might cozy up to.
Isabella, I bought some A2 milk on my last shopping trip. I don't use milk often and it usually goes bad. I noticed that the best buy date is a lot longer on the A2 than on regular milk, so maybe the extra cost will be cheaper in the long run. I'll have more time to use it instead of pouring it down the drain.
Rained fairly heavy all night and the towels are wet on the woodstove. Suppose to rain all day, what a mess for trick-or-treaters tonight. I don't have any candy, nor do I want kids walking on the road at night, so we always keep the lights out and I lock the gate. We've never had kids come to our house. I used to buy fun size snickers bars every year, lots of them since they'd be on sale, and John and I would eat them all. Once I started NM, I quit buying them, so we are candy free for Halloween. If they are not here in the house, I don't even miss them.
I'll be playing on the computer today...sending out Halloween animated e-cards. I started sending these to the kids, Elizabeth, Eric, Jackson, but now I send them to everyone. It's so much fun.0 -
Mmmmm, house smelled good when I got up Sunday morning with the roast cooking. Several kids were not as happy coming to Sunday School but they settled down. We put all the chairs for the story in one row but we end up with two. So funny. The lesson was about a deaf man so they played the maracas (that we could hear) and one boy bopped himself in the head - twice. His comment was I don't need a bandaid - I'm not bleeding. He did have a red spot on his forehead. Service was good. Pastor started a series on the book of Jude. We had dinner and everyone hung around for awhile. Katie had gone home so she could get a nap while they were here. As soon as the last one left, I headed for a women's thing at church. Lots of pumpkin desserts and a speaker who left us with a good challenge. The rest of the evening was at home.
This morning Ralph got up at 4 and headed for Emporia with a load of beans. He was hoping to get there before a lot of other trucks. It didn't happen. There were all kinds of semis there. He got home about 1:30. Now they are out combining again and he'll go to Wichita tomorrow. Beans are making good so places are filling up. I walked with my friend and then have been able to be at home the rest of the day and have enjoyed it a lot. There's something going on all the other days. I even surprised Ralph and made some whole wheat bread. I was going to do it last Thursday and found out the whole wheat flour I had on hand but no longer good so had to toss it and get some new stuff. So one's out to eat and I froze two.
Alan's kids did trick and treating for the first time with school. Their parents went in to sign the paperwork for Ava to start school tomorrow and brought the kids by so I could see them. The boys were cowboys and Molly was an schoolgirl from the 50s. So far no one has come here and I don't think anyone will. Just not many kids in the neighborhood and it's so much easier to go to town where the businesses do things. I'm sure I'll see a picture of Derek's kids on facebook. I thought about us driving in if Ralph wouldn't have been busy.
Sheryl, glad you got your family email done. You did a good job. Even though I know most of it, it was still interesting to read. Sorry your mom doesn't want to do more but you guys have done all you can to encourage her. One thing my sister likes about cream puffs is they don't have sugar in them. I make her some for her birthday and she eats them plain. Did you get the slaw made?
Christina goes through so much. I heard from my niece that they are now treating my brother for parkinsons and will see if there's any change in three weeks. Hope it helps him. Glad you heard back from the handyman.
Happy Halloween everyone.
P.S. I just got your card Sheryl. Thank you.
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Good Morning. I've been enjoying the responses I'm getting from my email update. Not only did I send it to my cousins, but I also sent it to NM friends as well. I still have email addresses from the Secret Santa Gift Exchange.
I'm not sure if you remember that Delmar moved to Florida to care for her parents, she lost her father this past year and is caregiver for her mother.
Sue (sctacke) is going in for her second knee replacement surgery this coming Friday. She had the first knee done this past February and came through with flying colors. She is praying that this recovery period and rehab will go as smoothly as the last one.
Dawn (Dlynn) ran her first 5K for the Liver Foundation in honor of her daughter, Laura. So very proud of herself and I told her that her victory was made even sweeter because it was for Laura.
Kel is doing very well, very happy in a new job where she does NOT have to "attend meetings and be stuck in a cubicle, answering emails". She is active in yoga and more fit than ever before. Still in love with Ben and living happily ever after. Sadly, they lost Tuca from congestive heart failure, but just got Lucy (got her at 9 weeks old and she's 13 weeks old now)to be a pal for Paco. She sent a photo and Lucy looks just like Cisco, only jet black instead of tan.
They all told me to say Hi to the PBS gang.
No word back from Granny, haven't heard from her in ages.
I still need to contact Billie, I want to go visit before it's too late.
Yesterday, John was up at 7:30, but today, when I'd like to leave to go to Bible Study, he's still in bed. Oh well, there's no reason why I can't have a devotional on my own, right here.
Naturally, all was quiet last night, I had the lights out and the gate locked.
I talked to Mom and they had a costume parade at Mission Commons and had to vote for the best. I asked who dressed up, staff?, residents? or outsiders? She said residents, and some disguises were so good that Mom didn't recognize who they were. She's so funny, she said that some of the residents there are "old on the outside, but very young inside" and play games and goof off. Too bad she can't be one of them. Top prize was a big box of chocolates and the winner opened up the box and shared with everybody. Sounds like fun. At least I'm glad Mom participated in the watching and voting part since she didn't dress up. I remember one Halloween when she had to dress up for work, she wore my blonde wig and at a church party, I wore her black wig. In the photos, you would have thought that I was working at the bank and she was attending my youth party, we look that much alike.
Debora, will pray for your brother and his family, Parkinson's is another dreaded disease that takes away so much from a person.
Nope, I didn't get around to making the cabbage salad yet. I'd better check that cabbage and see if it's still good, I took quite a few of the leaves off last week for cabbage rolls, so now it's a smaller head, just right for shredding.
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Good Morning, I woke up to a wonderful email from Granny this morning. She is doing extremely well. Here it is:
Dear Sheryl,
So great to get your long and informative update. It seemed to have very great news on how well your health is doing. Sorry to hear John is not doing well, but that is to be expected, I guess. Sorry to hear your mom is staying in her apartment and not wanting to join in the fitness class. Wayne and I are going to exercise classes 5 days a week, and I am the instructor in the 2 here at the Senior Center where I live. We go to one on Monday and Friday at my church, I teach the ones on Tuesday and Thursday here at the Center, and we go to one in Owasso at the Community Center where we are forced to go eat lunch on Wednesday. They stopped serving lunches here at our Center at our Center a few months ago and we have to ride the bus to Owasso to eat every weekday or we will lose our bus. We don't want to lose our bus since it takes us lots of places. It takes people to Walmart 3 days a week, to Dollar General once a week, to Aldi once a week, out to dinner at various place on Mondays and Thursdays, breakfast on Saturday mornings at various places, and takes people to doctor's appointments, banks, and any place else they need to go. It also takes us to a Food Bank every other Wednesday at 9 in the morning, and they give us food and toilet tissue free. They keep us so busy here we don't have time to realize how old we are. Of course there are some here that won't get out and do anything, so they just sit around and gripe. Some don't even come out of their apartments.
It is almost time for me to go out and walk my 2 miles around the building, then I come inside and make the coffee in the dining room. Then about 8:30 Wayne come over and several of us sit around and have coffee and talk till it's time for us to go to exercise class at 9:30. Then we barely get back here in time to catch the bus at 10:30 to go to Owasso for lunch. We get back home about 12:00 and Wayne and I nearly always have places to go or things to do. Today is the one afternoon we don't have anything on the schedule, so we just enjoy being together, usually at his house or going out for just messing around. Then we go out to eat someplace. Every Friday night we go to a Gospel Singing they have in Owasso. We have gone there every Friday for nearly a year now. We have been together every day for what will be a year on November 30. He is such a wonderful man, and he thinks I am pretty wonderful also.
We will be going to another Gospel Singing in Broken Arrow on this Saturday night. They just have it once a month, and it is really good. They have more famous people than the one in Owasso does. They are both free, but do take up an offering.
We go play Bingo once a month at an Indian place near us. It is lots of fun, but costs $23 to play. When we win, we get our $23 as a prize. Sometimes we both win, but we always enjoy going even when we don't win.
On Thursday the 10th Wayne and I will be going on his church bus about a couple of hours from here to an Amish place where they serve groups at huge long tables family style. I have been there in the past and their food is really great. I know it will be a wonderful trip.
Well, I must get out and begin my walk so I can get the coffee on by 8 o'clock.
Love you,
Granny
I saw Billie's name pop up on FB last night, so I sent another email, if I don't get a reply in a couple days, I'll call her on the phone. At least I know that she is still able to log on to the computer.
Marcie, whenever I see cats, I think of your Simon and Casey and also Christina's Obie and Rocket. I had two cats when growing up, they were Siamese and it's rare to find cats that look like that in the e-cards. The e-card ones are mostly black.
Here's a photo of Lucy, Kel's new puppy.
Lucy and Paco, Kel said you can see how small she is compared to their feet...
I hope you guys don't mind me posting the photos here instead of on the photo post, I figured out how to resize them so they don't mess up our scrolling on this post and want to attach them right now while I'm thinking of it.
New development with my tv/dvd. I woke up two days ago and the converter box quit working. We have a digital tv, but the VHS/dvd recorder needs a converter box to receive signals to record. Now, if I want to watch a program, I'm going to have to sit and watch a program. Can't record it and watch it later. Or, watch one show and record another one at the same time. I had to choose between Bull and This Is Us last night. I got lucky that Bull was a rerun and I had seen it, so I watched This Is Us. (John watched the World Series in the other room). I wonder if they even sell converter boxes anymore. I imagine most people have Netflix or Xfinity or some other automatic recording device. If I go out, I'll swing by Radio Shack. Oh, I guess I could check Amazon and then have it delivered. Yay for home delivery!! I'm getting spoiled with that.
Two days and counting for Sue's knee surgery, I'll keep you posted.
Speaking of counting days...I'll bet that Elaine has it down to the minute for Christmas. I remember that she goes Christmas Crazy.
I'm getting weepy...Oh, how I miss the journal room.
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Good morning everyone.
The rain here has finally stopped. We broke the record for October rainfall last month. I don't know if this marks the end of our awful drought, but I'm loving it so far. The brown yards around the neighborhood have already greened up. No more rain is forecasted for at least the next week or so.
Dad bought less candy than we usually do for Halloween trick-or-treaters this year since the last couple years have been so slow. Turned out it was even slower this year. It was kind of drizzly out that night, so that may have affected turn out. We only had four kids between 7 and 8 pm and then one large group of 10 at around 8:30. We were giving them fistfulls of candy! Still, there was a lot left over and I brought it in to work for the staff.
I kept Cisco in his harness and on leash Halloween night and just kept him by me until the trick-or-treating was done. He did well, but still had mini barkfests when the doorbell went off.
Saturday I went to the Optometry section of Costco and got my eyes examined and new glasses ordered. This is my first time giving them a try, so we'll see how it goes. I wound up ordering a pair of long distance glasses, long distance sun glasses, and computer glasses. With my insurance, the total came to $250. Not bad at all.
I sure have been using that egg sandwich maker a lot. Love that thing. Last weekend I bought some canadian bacon cut in rounds, and they fit perfectly. During the past week I've made five of those sandwiches, which I suppose it not so bad as it's only one egg per sandwich and about 1/2 ounce of cheese. I always couple it with fruit and veggies on the side so lots of nutrients.
Sheryl, thanks for the E-Card and for sharing Granny's email with us. It makes my heart happy to hear how well she is doing!!! Also, thanks for the pic of Kel's new puppy Lucy. She is just super-cute, and you are right, she does kind of a look like a black version of Cisco. What a pain with the converter box! I've also been watching Bull and This is Us. Really good shows that I'll stick with. I sure hope Billie is okay.
Debora, homemade bread sounds soooo good! I made some peanut butter last weekend and that would go great with a big slice of homemade bread! I'm glad to hear you were able to take a day off and relax a bit. Much deserved!
Hi Anew, Isabella and Jannie. I hope all is well with you.
Better get back to work. Have a nice day everyone.0 -
I found out today that one of my friends at work is taking a promotion in another division in the office and will be leaving my division. She and I have worked together for the last 25 years. Will miss her. I took her out for lunch today. We went to Seasons 52 and both had the mahi mahi fish tacos. Really good. The only problem with going there at lunch time during the work week is finding a spot in the parking lot. The restaurant is located outside of a popular mall and the parking lot leaves a lot to be desired.
Sheryl, I was going to say, I hope the mouse works for you. I find it really easy on the wrist, and love that it's stationary.0 -
Good Morning.
I spent a little time on FB yesterday morning and then, John got up early and I didn't make it over here. I actually posted on the NM Family page, usually I just comment here and there, once in a while. Thanks Marcie for commenting on my post. We were really sharing a lot of cooking tips yesterday.
The handyman came by and said he charges $40.00 per hour and estimated the job would take 2 days. I told him to go ahead with it, so now, we have to wait for a couple of dry days since there is painting involved.
I checked Amazon for a converter box and they had an RCA, exactly like the one I have been using all these years for $30.00. To get the total up for the free shipping, I was trying to figure out what else to buy. If only it broke last week, I had just ordered some stuff from Amazon. Anyway, I decided to go get a few extra groceries on Wednesday, so I stopped at Radio Shack and they had one for $70.00, I passed on that. At Fred Meyer, where I got my groceries, I checked their electronics section and they had one for $30.00, so I bought it. I'm glad I did, it works better than the RCA. Before, there were only a handful of channels that I could record, the other channels would not come in strong enough and the recordings were terrible. This one, so far, I can record every channel I can view. I'm pleased that I got it in time to record the repeats of Masterpiece. I haven't watched any of them yet, but I've been taping Sunday nights and getting the whole series for viewing later sometime. So, last night I got the rerun of The Durrells in Corfu and tonight will be Poldark, so they will still be in order on my dvds.
Marcie, it's rough losing a good co-worker, but congratulations to her on a promotion. Sounds like your lunch together was great, food and visit.
I'm back and I better submit this before I lose it. Hope to check back in later.0 -
Good morning everyone.
It was a bit chilly this morning. Down in the 40s. But no wind, so it wasn't too bad. We are supposed to get a little more rain on Sunday, but they say it won't be anything like what we got last weekend.
I sure didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Just wanted to stay in bed and snuggle with the dog. Then...he yawned in my face and that dog breath woke me up fast!
Works has been cranking up again. We are closing in on the end of the year, so it tends to get a little crazy around here this time of year. I have LOTS of stuff I need to get done before January 1st. Seems like every time I start making headway on these tasks, new tasks with higher priority keep coming in, so my To-Do list keeps growing. Oh well. I guess that's job security, right?
I was at work a little later than normal yesterday, so I had to drive home in the dark. I hate driving on the Freeway in the dark in rush hour traffic. All those headlights just bother my eyes so much any more.
I got the call yesterday that my new glasses are in and ready to be picked up at Costco. I think I'll stop by there after work today and get them. That way I won't have to deal with that place on a Saturday when they are so busy. I hope the new glasses work out well. I sure need the stronger prescription now.
Lately before going to bed I've been watching videos on YouTube from Vet Ranch (videos of vets that take rescued dogs and cats (usually badly hurt/abused animals that are pending euthanasia), get them all fixed up and then find them their forever homes. I have got to stop! Last night I kept watching video after video and didn't realize how late it got. It was 1:00 am by the time I finally went to sleep! I just love those happy ending stories. One story was of a pregnant dog that was going to be put down. They rescued her, got her fixed up, she had the pups (12 of them!), and they found happy homes for the mom and all her puppies.
Sheryl, I loved your tip on Facebook on the spaghetti squash. I'm definitely going to try that one!
Well, I'd better get back to work. That list just won't stop growing! Have a great day everyone.
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