WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR DECEMBER 2015

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Annr - I've 'face planted' a lot in my life; thankfully, now that I have lost a good bit of my goal weight; I move a lot better. For me, small things like fitting into 'skinny jeans' and not being self-conscious about wearing them in public has been a NSV for me. Got a book of pictures of the wedding pictures that my new DDnL#2 sent me for Christmas. She called last night to make sure the guys got home with no problems and told me she wanted me to open my package. Boy, she can really wrap a very neat package! It took me a while to get into it; but, it has to be the 'best' gift ever. I think she got "Papa Louie" a new toaster oven because ours burnt out; and we've just been using the regular oven. We are planning on buying one of those special coffee makers that you can make a cup or a whole pot in for our Christmas/birthdays/anniversary presents to one another. But, I did not start my diet until after the wedding (on 5/9/15); so I do have a picture of me at my heaviest that I can load (if I learn how) on this site when I get closer to my goal weight. as a comparison. My goal is 145 - 150lbs. Surprisingly, this came from the OB that had wanted me to weight 120 - 125lbs., just a few years ago. IF I got that low; people would be trying to guess if I was sick or not. I have not weighed that since my wedding day. My son told her that I looked really good. Both of them said they were proud of me (especially about the skinny jeans). I bought myself a pair of fleece lined leggings when I bought some for the DDnL#2, DOGD, and DMGD for Christmas. I hope they like them as much as I do. I know that the "S" will fit my DnL; but, I might have to take the DGDs back and get a medium for them. I forgot to check if they put that special tag on them that you have to have to take some things back for a refund. Oh well, maybe not at Kmart. So warm without being heavy! I hope you are feeling much better. I've nearly face planted several times during my heavy days. I'm still looking forward to you sending me the entire Advent story that you have been posting daily. You can private message me on it when you get it all written out (so I don't run the risk of missing that post).

Pip34 - you and Kirby have a whole lot to be thankful for this time of the year. Like you said it could have been so much worse. Every moment he is alive is a miracle; and, the slow but steady progress he seems to be making is even more than a miracle. Even if he has to give up some things that he has liked doing. Both of you need to take it easy and not push things; that is a prayer that we all say for y'all.

exermom - yeah, cats have a mind of their own. Yesterday, Cracker was very quiet and in the house when I called her ... I thought she had gone out on our glassed-in porch because I had opened the doors from our MBR. I checked to make sure she had not gone out there and pooped; and found a bird. I could not figure out how it had gotten there. The next time I let the dog out; ... here comes the cat to go out. He had brought it in; but, I never saw him doing it. Bad, bad, cat! Yeah, cats work on their own timing. We have an outside cat that is one of the lovingness cats I have ever seen. The vets are so surprised that when I take him in, that he goes to them without a fight; and then he will put his front paws around their necks and then just goes limp so that he feet are usually hanging down below their knees and purrs like a rocket. Everybody just loves him. We make him give us a "High 5" before we pour his food out for him. Cracker is staying seated until we tell her she can 'go'; but, then she hesitates not sure we really mean it.

Cracker was so happy to see her 'human Daddy' home after a week; not as much as I did. She'd sit and lay down beside his chair about 1/2 of the time. But, she never whined like she does if I'm not here. She is still sometimes 'limping' on her left leg; but, not nearly as bad as she once did. Occasionally, when sitting down. Her toes do not seem as spread apart as they do on the other 3 feet. Every time my granddaughters come over they try to figure out who or what she reminds them of. "Wishbone" without the spot over its eye". The "Grinch" or the "Grinch's dog". She has those wild long hairs on her paws; and a JRT face, although she has the long legs of a Rat Terrier. We call her a 'Rat Jack'. They say that is actually a breed of 'mixed' dogs.

I googled how to make those big fluffy bows ... and they take a special ribbon to do them. It is shiny on one side and not so on the other side. You make several loops (6 maybe) and then fold it again, in half and cut notches out on either side where you had folded it; and then let it back out (just that last fold) and then take the ribbon you had wrapped around the package and tie it to it at the notches; then, you can pull out from each side starting with the inner most fold; and wha-la - you have a perfect bow. They showed doing it with satin ribbon but it laid flat. We also looped that crinkled thin string and then tied a knot around it at the middle of the loop and then took my scissors and hold them open and drag them from the bow outwards to make them curl. I've even tied a knot around the flaps and then connected it to the package at the ribbon tied around it and cut more of the cut loops to make a total curly bow. I find the shiny paper a whole lot hard to work with than just the plain paper wrapping; even though they look pretty. I had to laugh at my 'new' DDnL#2 when she told me that she learned how to wrap presents really neatly when she had to do her 'community service'. Actually, she meant she volunteered to wrap presents when she was 'in school'.

bwcetc

Ok ... This day is already going south... Can't get my post to edit ... And just write a long lost I lost!

I'll try again later.

Hope you all have a good day!

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Just seeing if I follow the directions to see if ticker shows up in my posts. ...

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Nope, did not work here. Must have forgotten one of the steps. Gggrrrr!

Lagopus

Becca - Gracious! Watch out for yourself!

Heather - I know exactly what you mean about being able to eavesdrop on conversations. That strikes me every time I go to Sweden (or the US) where I understand everything with ease, even if I only catch half of it. I understand Norwegian just fine if it's spoken clearly, but with the combined weaknesses of my language skills and my hearing, eavesdropping simply doesn't work in Norway.

On the topic of stuff at nursing homes/extended care, when my mom was recovering from her various fractures, she was moved to the part of their retirement complex where they have extra staff watching over the residents. We found it best to keep it really simple, moving only the barest necessities. Mom wasn't exactly at her best then and often got confused and even paranoid. Several times she muttered about people "stealing her stuff" when in reality whatever she couldn't find was in the other apartment. Of course there was also the issue that we didn't want her to feel "at home". We wanted her back in her real home, and figured it might help to keep things spartan at the other place.

Lisa - Sorry for your family's loss. It makes me really angry that insurance companies can refuse to pay out benefits because someone took their own life. (Except maybe if it's obvious that the whole thing was planned before they took out an insurance policy. Mary's story speaks against them doing that - or maybe speaks for the importance of getting help from a lawyer.) But those same companies that are so eager to collect your monthly payments too often turn cold and stingy when they're called on to play their part. I'd better stop here before I get too political.

But it's good to hear that your week of forced idleness paid off, Lisa. I hope the effect lasts. And I hope the same strategy works equally well for Barbie. I feel for you (Barbie) about the sudden cut in allowable calorie intake.

Allison - Ouch about the fire ant! I remember those from when we lived in Miami for two years. One day we had unusually heavy rain and all the streets were flooded. Unwisely, we went out wading in the lake that used to be our lawn. A fire ant nest had also been flooded and those critters were MAD! We beat a hasty retreat.

Betty - Gorgeous tree! I especially like the hand-cut paper snowflakes. They give it such a personal touch. The blue and white color scheme appeals to me too.

My husband is color blind and can't tell the difference between red, green and muddy brown, or between lavender, pink, powder blue and gray. Once he came home and proudly showed off the neon pink vacuum cleaner he'd just purchased. (Luckily it was actually gray, but I didn't need to tell him that.) He seizes every opportunity to select bright colors - whether they harmonize or not. Actually, since he can't see many colors, he doesn't understand the concept of harmonizing them. But he's also very sensitive about the issue because as a child he was teased by both classmates and teachers. :noway: So I've given up. For his sake, I never press the issue. If our home is a disaster area, colorwise, that's a light cross to bear.

Lenora - Nice story about the expert gift wrappers! My mom is another of those. One year she gave us a big down comforter in blue silk. It wasn't wrapable - in fact it was already on our bed and we used during our entire visit. So she made a little replica of the comforter on her sewing machine and put it in one of those wide flat matchboxes, then wrapped the matchbox beautifully in a way so it would still open. The card read "This represents the one you're using..." That was about 25 years ago and I still have the matchbox.

Oh Pip I can see how Kirby not running would shake both your worlds. He appears to be putting a good face on it. Still, I hope the nerve damage heals with time. They used to tell us we got one set of nerves at birth and that was it - but they know better now. We get new nerves all our lives, just not very quickly. Good to hear that you are back in the same bed.

DJ wrote to Karen: Congrats to your DD on getting in the college of her choice. Brace yourself for the costs and that “empty nest”. It is what got me when our only child went off to college.

When both my kids flew the coop within a few months of each other, what I found staggering was the same, but opposite! Empty nest, check. But the costs plummeted! Swedish universities are tuition-free, so we didn't have to pay for that. And it was incredible how much money we suddenly had left over when those two left home. It wasn't as though we gave them huge allowances or paid for their hobbies. The only real difference was the amount of food I bought!

Joyce - Your story about your mother's passing and your reactions is touching - and so honest! Good for you for acknowledging not just the positive feelings, but also the negative ones. Even though they feel forbidden, they are natural and need an outlet. (((Hugs)))

I'll have to get back to you with a report of the aftermath of that storm we had, but I don't have the heart just now.
/Penny at the

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Let me try this again. Went to a different page ...

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Nope; ticker still not showing up here. Boo! Can someone give me those instructions again?

csofled

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Lagopus - now your Mother had a very ingenious way of showing you your gift. I would have never thought of that. I know I wrapped pillows in the box they came in last year; but, ended up having to piece the paper at the ends of the boxes.

Talk about listening to conversations: When I was younger we had an 'operator' that connected calls (most were party lines) into one of those boards. A friend and I went up there and would sneak into the office so we could hear the conversations she was listening to. When 'private' lines came to town, since my Dad was an attorney he was one of the first to get a private line; but, if someone called using a 'party' line he said, "Helen, disconnect the DAMN line!" He would go to the PO across the street from her office and would not stand and talk to anybody unless they crossed the street and went around the corner so she could not see them talking to one another. It did not take long for the attorneys and MDs to learn to walk off from someone and tell them to meet them across the street and around the corner.

Weirdest thing that has ever happened to me was going outside on our deck where there is a 'hot spot' and having voice calls showing up on my phone that were actually recordings of 2 calls made by one MD (on call) talking to another (not on call, and obviously rather drunk) talking about a patient but using a 'code name' for this particular person. I'd yell into the phone; but, they apparently could not hear me ... they would continue to talk and laugh and it made my phone where I could not use it until they got off. Same two MDs the two times it has occurred. I haven't tried it lately on my 'new' smart phone. Don't know if they were local MDs or what; but, it was sort of strange to me; although I have heard others say that sometimes you 'think' your call is private when it really isn't. So, I don't 'gossip' on my phone. It is used specifically to ask a question (usually to DH) about what time he expects to get home; or to tell him I am in town and ask if I could meet him for lunch. I really don't use it much; most of the time it is 'off'. Actually, I only use it to pass along pictures.

Sunnygirl_2015

and hugs to all

Rosie

margaretturk

Heather I had a good laugh when you talked about the cookie exchange. My mother would make at least seven different kinds of cookies at Christmas. Her mother made all kinds of candies. That was one tradition I decided to discontinue. I never regretted it. I only bake one pan of of cherry bars and use the best ingredients. I have three neighbors and friends and ourselves I share that pan with. At most we all get a few to eat. One year I thought I would skip it and then was asked when are the cherry bars coming. Occasionally I might make another kind of cookie. When I do I only make one batch at a time bake a dozen at a time and freeze the dough that way I not tempted by over eating them.

My mother was either sick or crabby at Christmas from over doing it. I made up my mind early once I left home that I love Christmas and I would pace myself so that I enjoy it. The cookie baking was an easy one for me to give up.

Margaret

barbiecat

GRITSandSLUTS wrote: »

Nope; ticker still not showing up here. Boo! Can someone give me those instructions again?

Even though MFP says that you can automatically add your ticker to your post, you can. You have to copy and paste the code on any post if you want it to show up.....you also have to click the box that tells them to make your ticker public.....go to your home page and click on "APPS". then click on tickers and there is a place at the top to click a box to say that you want your ticker to be public.....click in the square, then click on "save changes" and it will show up in your posts when you copy and paste the code.... I keep the code and some other stuff in a document so I can get to them easily when I want them.


Barbie

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

ticker

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/9011/898/90110898.png

Now to see if it works the way I did it. This seems like PITA!

oceanmelody

One of the few liberating things about not having some family around at Xmas that I wish I had is that I no longer feel the need to use all the ornaments collected over the decades and I finally got to do the blue and white tree I wanted to do. So glad you liked it! The paper snowflakes were a lot of fun and I think I am going to make a lot more this week. It is a great relaxing thing to do, plus when you are done the floor looks like it really has snowed with all the bits that fly off when you snip away!
Also the stockings we have were made by my husband's aunt who taught me how to knit even though she is a righty and I am a lefty. She is 90 now and makes these stockings for whoever joins the family. I think she has made over 200 of them.
I am just blue about my second daughter being 10,000 miles away. It always gives me a start when I open the box and see her stocking nestled next to ours. This is our third Christmas without her. It did not help to see that she posted to someone else on FB that she is planning on raising her future children over there. No children yet, but the prospect of not getting to know my grandchildren well is almost more than I could bear.
Sorry for being whiny...so many of you are dealing with life and death situations and I get a lot of strength from hearing your stories. Most days I can be strong too lately but every once in a while.....
Betty

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Ticker shows up on my profile page; but, apparently even copying it from there does not do so. Not on my Home page.

TerriRichardson112

Woo Hoo! Thanks Allison. Finally got my ticker to post.

Beth 'Stomach is off ... So good time to be making fudge for last Christmas boxes. I'm not interested in even a taste!' I hope you have recovered. Just recovering from a 24 hour bout myself, so I know you can feel fragile for days after.

Penny I hope you weathered the storm. That was some feast you put on. It reminds me of a visit we made to the lodge of a family of reindeer herders when we were up there to see the Aurora Borealis.

Pip I see from your stats that you are not letting the grass grow under your feet (and the snow). You did mention that it was Kirby's tattoo when you posted.

Janet Bravo, for letting the doctor know about his snotty telephonist. Some people have an inflated opinion of their own importance. I hope he gives her a right telling off. Hoping the meds will quickly resolve the shingles. Love the homily. I frequently burn lots of calories that way!

Barbie I know how frustrating an enforce spell,of inactivity can be to someone like you. Good thinking to have projects to keep you busy. I would have gone stir crazy after my hip op if I hadn't done the same thing.

Katla Hoping that by now you and DH are feeling a little better.

Lillian Condolences. I have also had to clean out three relatives houses after their deaths and it is not a fun job at all, although, it can be quite cathartic.

Got as far as Page 36 then had to jump to the end, so sorry if I have missed your post.

I was laid up with a 24 hour stomach bug on Saturday, so feeling a little fragile over the weekend. I went out for coffee with my Creative Writers this morning. Afterwards, I had a little NSV. I called at the local thrift shop on the way home, and found a practically new waterproof Regatta coat in lilac (my fav colour) on the rack for £6.49 (about $12). It was a size 14, (I have been wearing size 20/22). It fits perfectly. I had no idea that a coat that actually fitted would make such a difference.

I thought you might enjoy one of my Christmas poems.

The Ghost of Christmas

I wander through a childhood haze of Christmas lights and festive dreams;
a trip to town, a grotto ablaze with pine trees wreathed in tinsel streams;
a magic ride through time and space above a snow-capped wonderland;
a red-cloaked man with smiling face, a gift for me held in his hand.
Underneath the Christmas tree a pile of brightly parcelled shapes
ignite anticipation of Christmas songs and jolly japes.

Now, i rush through December days with lists of gifts, and things to do.
I tick them off, my forehead creased, mind filled with where, when, how and who.
I buy and decorate the tree so other eyes, wide with delight,
will wonder at the spectacle of bauble streams and dazzling light.
I remembers other Christmas days when I had but one, small chore,
to set the table for the feast before guests came, knocking at the door;

I sit and sort through Christmas cards, my mind filled with each Christmas past,
and smiles to think of all the joys of those memories made to last.

(C) 2013 Terri Richardson

Healing thoughts and prayers to those who need them!

Welcome to our Newbies. Sit a spell!

Let your light shine out in the darkness

Each one of us is a vital cog in an infinite universe.
We may not know our purpose, but each cog needs to be oiled and tended.




Irish Terri

GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS

Got the BEST Christmas present that I can think of - a hardback book of my DYS and DDnL#2's wedding pictures. I will treasure it for my life! I'm sure that DDnL#1 will think she (DDnL#2) is trying to outdo them on Christmas gifts. I also think she has given us a new toaster oven since she knows our last one burnt out. Package is about the right size for one. Husband could not figure out what it is. She had asked me if we had gotten a new one.

I can't wait until Christmas to see what my DGDs think of what they have gotten from us. Hope they like what they have gotten. All of them also got gift certificates so they can pick and choose something they really want. Just found out that my DOGD is going to TN with boyfriend's family beginning on Christmas Eve Day. DDnL#1 was a little upset about it; because this is the 2nd year in a row that she has gone with boyfriend near or at Christmas. They'll be home on Sunday. She'll get to see her half-sister while they are there. Doesn't want to go next year because her middle sister's 16th birthday. Special birthday! Hope they have a safe trip going and coming home.

Peach1948

DamitJanit

Call me crazy but I love to see other people happy and succeeding .

Good Morning Ladies,

Heather, I think (certainly don’t know) that the Christmas cookie tradition got started because of the custom of leaving cookies out for Santa. I have no idea of when, why or how that got started. So for some reasons, Americans just think they have to have cookies around at Christmas and many of them do get eaten. Thus the fat Americans…what can I say? It is just so strange to hear that you have no urge to cook!!! I’m not sure if that is a way to lose weight or gain? I’m sure things will work out with all the company but really hope you get a good visit with your DS! (((Hugs)))

Joyce, don’t ya love the hubbies that interrupt every second when we are on the computer or trying to watch the news? My DH has something to say about every news story that comes on, so that unless I pause the TV, I miss the story for listening to him. Lol You know you are welcome to “go on” with us on any memories or stories that you care to share. ((Hugs))

Penny, you are so right that in the big scheme of things, colors make so little difference. I’m sorry that your DH is sensitive about his color blindness as it seems so many men are. Love the Neon Pink vacuum. Lol I hope the storm didn’t do any serious damage.

Margaret, you are so smart to discontinue the cookie baking tradition that your mom did. But you know, once you give friends or neighbors something twice, they expect it for the rest of your life. Lol

Betty, I think most of us would feel the same way about having our DD so far away and the prospects of being so far from any future grandchildren. That makes me sad for you. (((((Hugs)))))

IrishTerri, glad you are over the bug. I love your Christmas poem. Have a good one!

I need to get a little something else for DH but can’t think of what. I have to return something to Steinmart and then I think I’m finished. Yesterday I baked some bran muffins and we will eat light until Christmas. I’m even debating if I will try to log my Christmas dinner but will decide that day. I can’t believe Christmas is really this week. It just seems surreal for some reason. I love hearing about all your traditions and plans and hope this year is all you could wish for.

I hope all of you have a healthy and happy day.

Words I live by:
Savor. I have to slow down and savor every bite.
and
Opportunity. Each day offers new opportunities for good health and happiness if we just look for them and choose them.
I Love you,
DJ
Myrtle Beach, SC