OMG ~ Discussions Starting 1-11-16 and Beyond
Replies
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Good morning dear friends. Good to stop in and read up on how we are all hanging in there and the plans we are making. It is encouraging to each other to know others are trying and ideas they are coming up with. We all have been together for quite some time now.
Bert - The pictures of your Christmas tree and home were so beautiful. That was very immature of the student that was with issues to give a discounted evaulation of you, and of course that will be evident to all, especially in comparison to the others. You know you are an excellent mentor for any upcoming teacher to experience! Have you thought of doing a photo journal of your family history? Glenn's youngest brother gave the siblings a booklet he made of all the old family photo's of their Nebraska and Mississippi relatives that go wayyy back. It was so excellent and a treasure to have. It had Glenn's great-great grandparents in there and all the way forward. He had it made it to a binder.
Diane - Glenn, my brother Kevin and Pete, a guy that does work for my other brother Keith, plus my nephew Bryan, will be doing the work at my father's house. I don't partidipate much, mostly just the gopher! lol My dad and brother that live there have cleared out the bottom cabinets he told he yesterday. I do have to box up the upper cabinets when I get there. I am bringing back my mother's rose china to have in my new kitchen outside.
Speaking of my new kitchen, we have finalized the cabinets and countertops. Well, Glenn is running to meet with him this morning on one leg of the countertop where the breakfast nook area is next to the fridge, but all else has been picked out and they will start the end of next week building them. We went with a stained color named Provencial on Rosewood. A light honey colored stain, with a high quality type of formica they have now, called Butterum Granite wih etchings finish. I believe it's all going to look very nice for a small kitchen. Glenn is going to meet with him about one area of the cabinet leg where the breakfast bar comes down. We are putting drawers down the leg instead of just a leg there for storage. Glenn really had some good design ideas. George, the company owner, designed the rest and wow did he come up with a nice setup, especially the built in around the microwave. There witll also be three upper cabinets with glass doors for a flare. Excited!!
We have another big Football day in Glenn's Man Mansion. It's the Clemson game first and then the Alabama game. We have friends coming over as well as my two brothers, the one that lives here in town and my brother Keith is coming from Panama City too. Nice! I love family time. My nephew Jake, did make it in town last evening also. I have him a new Alabama Crimson Tide throw made that came out awesome!
I just had an eggwhite omelet and am trying to rein in the eating. Like Diane, the Christmas food, cookies and candies are slowly exiting the house. I've had heartburn over the holidays and I usually don't experience this!!
I like our "CHOOSE" and "CHOICE" attitude for the new year also.
Have a great day,
Karla
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Good Morning, Ladies. Christmas is over at our house. Decorations are taken down and in storage containers waiting until next year. Today I'm making the choice to eat foods with low or no carbs. Breakfast is a Premier Chocolate Shake (5 carbs). I'm heading to church this morning. It's only one service which I wish we would have all the time.
I'm going to research our families today on Ancestry.
Have a good day, everyone!
Bert0 -
Bert, good luck with Ancestry. My best friend's dad was into genealogy and was fascinated at what he found - hope you unearth a few nuggets (like being a royal or something).
All is well here. Heading to Costco to return something, then grab a few salad ingredients, then home to watch football and such. Hoping to eat moderately today because there will no doubt be something indulgent here for New Year's Eve.
Hugs to everyone!0 -
HI All-
Time spent with my girls was wonderful but I am now dealing with a nasty cold which is moving to my chest. I will email the information out and I need to get to the store to get supplies but at the moment I'm just to tired to even think about going, Em brought me juice, meds and soup.
So until I feel better I'm house bound- I even cancelled my nail appointment- never happens.
I'm off tomorrow but back to work Wednesday - I wish I haven't spent the last few days sick- a waste of much needed writing time.
I'm working on a new book- The Matchmaker and Mistletoe
Still waiting to hear from Carina which is a very good thing for me- it should mean I made it through the first round of rejections...
Anyway-
Karla- I hope your feeling better- the tree was lovely
Diane- My heart goes out to you- but you have your wonderful family to lean on- sending you strength and hugs
Janet- you shouldn't have hid in the pic- you're BEAUTIFUL!!!! Let your light shine dear friend
Bert- thank you for sharing your family pictures- your home looked festive and fun
Patti- I agree its time we focus on US- have fun at the cabin.
I'm off to get something to drink-
Happy New Year to all and here's to a healthy new one for us all.
Cindy0 -
I sent the email but Bert I didn't have your's- if you let me know I'll send it over to you as well.
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Cindy, it’s bme99@aol.com
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hi bert
I think Patti sent it to you...0 -
Yes, she did. Thanks.0
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Good Morning, Ladies! Happy New Year! This is the year of choice for me! Mike and I are going out for breakfast. We always do that on New Years. I'm choosing an egg white omelette with cheese and mushrooms. That's WW friendly as well as low carb. I choose to be more focused with healthy eating in 2019. Have a great day, everyone!
Bert0 -
Happy new year everyone. I love that we are embracing choice and choose as our mantra for 2019. It just seems like a positive way to start our journey to become our best selves. With that being said I choose to start my new eating plan tomorrow, lol. My kitchen is bare at home and I have leftover chicken fettuccine Alfredo that needs eaten today. It is just too good to throw out.
We have had the best weekend with family and friends. So much laughter and love. My face hurts from smiling and my sides ache from laughing. Today we are going home, want to be in town in time to go to the Eagles to watch the Rose bowl. Tomorrow I will spend time with mom before I go to work.
Have read all but my iPad is not trust worthy, especially with the spotty internet service so need to sign off before it eats my post.
Back with a vengeance and good choices tomorrow. Looking forward to sharing this year with all of you.
Patti0 -
Happy 2019 to you and yours! Patti, same here - tomorrow starts my new resolve.
But let's give ourselves credit too. A friend posted this and it seemed share-worthy:
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/49035841_10157217679674406_3798179905024294912_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=24de1699cce408e017fea3491742723a&oe=5C902403
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Hey ladies. I feel like Diane incarnated since we are doing a similar remodel on now my father’s kitchen.
n cabinets0 -
Glenn and a family friend and my brother Kevin, did the demo yesterday, and today my nephew Bryan and great nieces came and we washed down the remaining walls and went for supplies.
I decided to stay as my father is all in a tizzy with all this. We brought all the walk in showers pieces and new commode and the plumbing company starts the new bathroom tomorrow. So both rooms going. He said I am sure glad you are staying. I don’t do much, I’m mainly the gopher, I run for everything and get the lunch. But hey, this is important.
I’m waiting on returning home before I can fully devote myself to our choose and choice mantra theme, though I am reigning myself in.
Happy New Year.
Karla0 -
Glenn and Pete
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Good Morning, Ladies. Mike and I are watching Jillian and Cole today. Carrie returns to work and Greg has basketball practice and coach's meetings today. I also meet with my student teacher this afternoon. It will be a great day.
Eating was good yesterday. Mike and I went out for New Years Breakfast. This is one of our traditions. Only the "older folks" were out when we went.
Then in the afternoon I made Fat Head Pizza dough and made garlic "bread". It was very good and even Mike liked it. The dough consists of almond flour, mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, and egg; low carb.
Karla: Your guys are working very hard. I was a "gopher" when I had the bathroom remodeled. I'm sure your dad is happy you're there too.
Patti: My choice today is keeping my calories down. I'm not sure what I'll make for dinner this evening, but I'm hoping it will be low calorie and lower carbs.
Janet: We are definitely fighters and deserve to celebrate that. My choice is to fight for weight loss and keep my heart healthy.
Waving hi to Diane and Cindy. Have a great day, everyone!
Bert0 -
Good morning, back to reality today. Part of that was facing the scale this morning. Total surprise I have not gained at all over the holidays. Haven't lost either but I am taking this victory.
Karla, those boys have their work cut out for them. We are going to be totally gutting and redoing our upstairs bath very soon. It will be a hard job and a big mess but I will be in it as much as Edd. Hoping it doesn't take too long.
Janet, thanks for sharing that poster. I printed it and will hang it near my computer. It is just the motivation I need right now.
Cindy, so sorry you were so ill and praying you are on the mend. If you can't write I know it was bad.
Bert, loving your choices. I am going to really reign in the carbs and focus on unprocessed foods.
Diane, my heart is with you. Are you going back to meetings yet? Do share what you learn when you do.
Better post before it goes poof0 -
Good morning! Karla, I feel for your dad - that kind of disruption and change is rough on anyone, but especially someone older whose home has been so compromised by the storm. Good thing there are several young, strong men to do some of the difficult work. And it has to make them way hungry, so your contributions are really valuable too.
Patti, brava on holding steady over the holidays - quite an accomplishment.
Never got out of pjs yesterday. Sometimes the day after I take my newest RA med I have a blah day, and yesterday sure was that. Didn’t have any New Year’s Eve beverages, so that had to be it.
So far today I have exercised my “No!” muscle, but my mind want to play the “Aw, come one - one more day” trick. I just need to be mindful as much of the time as I can. We can do this.0 -
Hello all. I’m already feeling the depression seeping in from all the destruction around here. So hard to see my old childhood neighborhood so destroyed. My father is very distraught with all the work going on but he refused to rent a trailer or come stay with me. My deaf brother Kerry is out of it too. I wish I had just made my father get a camper for a couple weeks.
I baked a pork tenderloin and brought sandwiches over from Keith’s house. He has internet and I was doing office work while there. Bad time for me to be away.
Bert- Good start.
Patti- Congrats on no gain but not surprising to me as much as you are on the go.
Janet - What joyful surprise did James have for you for Christmas? Did he like your thoughtful gifts? I’m sure you both know each other so well now. Good practice on your no button.
The Mr Rooter company is also here working on the drains and replacing all the pipes. Afterwards the walk in shower. Can’t wait to see it all. Going to be a big cleanup after all this. I will have to come back on weekends for awhile to help him get it all set back up in the kitchen. The cabinets are unfinished and Pete, the helper, is going to stain the cabinets and do the floors. I’m trying to convince my dad to move up with me and us bring my brother and let him have his own place in my back yard also. Jeez, what a compound! Even my brother Kevin wants to build him a small house on the other side of my fence line. Lol.
I better go.
Karla0 -
Good Morning, Ladies. It's finally going to be a sunny day today. Hallelujah! I'm having lunch with my two BFF's. Jillian, Cole, and I went to the Children's Museum yesterday and they had a good time. I took them to lunch. I ended up choosing Subway as they were arguing where they wanted to go. They then argued in line what they wanted to get. There was a policeman in front of us and was smiling while I was trying to order. Then while we were eating, he came up to our table and then told them to mind their grandma for the rest of the day. You should have seen the looks on their faces! It was so funny! He then smiled at them and they laughed.
I met with my student teacher yesterday. I've had her before, and she's a great student. I'm looking forward to working with her.
Karla: Good luck with the rennovations. It is a stresser to live in the house while the construction is going on.
Patti: Congratulations on not gaining over the holiday. I'm focusing on unprocessed foods too.
Janet: Sorry about the new RA meds making you feel blah. I love days where I stay in my pj's all day.
Waving hi to Diane and Cindy. Have a great day, everyone!
Bert0 -
Bert, enjoy your sunshine, we are only going to get a few peeks of it today. Love that the policeman got the kids'attention. Would have loved to see their faces. How nice to have a student you know you will enjoy.
This is the slow season at the store so I will be working fewer hours. I want to take advantage of this and be more productive. We are going to redo our upstairs bath and I want to work on the upholstery for my boat. But for today I will be taking down the decorations. The house always seems so bare after that. Mom has been battling a cold but I think she is on the mend. Her eyes don't seem to be improving. I keep hoping it is the cold that is increasing fluid and pressure in her eye. We go for another shot in 2 weeks.
Wishing you all a little sunshine today
Patti0 -
Good morning ladies and Happy New Year 2019! Jeez, the years are really flying by.
We are making headway on the kitchen and today the Mr Rooter people tear out the cast iron tub and install the beautiful shower we brought. Keith and I went and purchased the stain and polyurethane and paint for the kitchen. Glenn feels like he is a day behind though. The plumbers held him up on one wall being closed up. We are going with a Provencial stain color, the same as my new cabinets in the pool house, and a sky blue color for the walls. We have a speckled black, grey and tan prefabbed countertops already bought. I can’t wait to see both rooms done. I’m coming back next weekend to clean and reload the kitchen. I bought the cabinet liners yesterday I want to cut and place in.
Bert- You are starting the year off with family and students. I plan on picking up Subway for Glenn and Pete today. Too funny about the policeman.
Patti- Will you throw the tub out the window again and put in a walk in shower this time? They really have some beautiful selections. I love the clear glass doors on them.
It is very clear my father and brother do not need to be living alone much longer. This renovation has also thrown them for a loop. Anything out of their routine is very difficult on them. Kerry continues to refuse going to any doctor and you can tell he is in pain from arthritis. He has medical insurance through his disability and this year he will be 65. Breaks my heart for both of them.
I’m waiting for the computer company to get in to call me as I can’t get signed into the office computer. I’ve been working from here on a limited basis, but this morning I am getting an error message. Ugghh
Cindy - I hope the new year brings a new life of peace to you. How did Meg say she felt about her new position with your company? I’m so proud of her, as I know you are.
Janet - Happy New Year!
Diane- I know this is a difficult time as you disperse your mother’s belongings and let go of her last place. I dread when my dad does agree to move over with me and I have to go through his large home.
I plan on this being my last year of employment and have advised the office of such. I will be 61 later this month, so next January I will be able to draw SS, and therefore that is my benchmark for stopping work. Sounds wonderful to me. I know I only work 25 hours a week but seems it is so much of my time. Lol.
Have a wonderful day.
Karla
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The ceiling was completed yesterday and floated.
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Good Morning, Ladies. Today is lunch with a friend who recently lost her husband to a massive heart attack. He had had heart trouble for years. This afternoon, I'll head over to Greg and Carrie's to watch the kids until she comes home from school. Greg has an away ball game and will need to leave by 2.
Eating has been going well. I end up making two different meals for dinner, but I'm used to that when I was seriously following WW. I need my own foods if I want to be successful. Mike only wants beef and/or something fried. He doesn't have trouble with his weight at all which is frustrating. However, it is what it is. I choose to be focused.
Dan sent pictures from Florida. Dan, Annie, Dylan, and Penny spend the week after Christmas with Annie's Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. This year it is in Florida because Annie's cousin is having a 40th birthday party there. Penny is beginning to swim without floaties! Annie's family took a side trip to Everglades National Park, and Dylan saw his first alligator in the wild! What an expression on his face! I think I would have the same one if it was close to me!
Have a great day, everyone!
Bert
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This week has been so weird. I have felt off on my days and am surprised it is Friday today! I got all the Christmas decorations down and most of them are back in their tubs. I now have the arduous task of putting all the collectibles back on the shelves. Luckily I have pictures of where everything goes or it would take a lot longer. Didn't get to my sewing because my back was aching from lugging all the totes up and down th basement steps. I did several loads of laundry, so lots of stair climbing. Pam got a new iWatch for Christmas and gave me the fitness tracker she had just bought for herself. It is not a name brand but seems to work great. It is slim and fits my wrist so much better than the Fitbit did. She gave me 2 extra bands for it too. It holds a charge for over a week and is easy to charge. No extra cords, you just remove one side of the band and plug it into any USB port. It does everything I need and it was only $30. I did pretty well on food but succumbed to some cheese and crackers that I did not need. Today I will make better choices. We will have a big salad with chicken for dinner and I will have a turkey on sugar free whole wheat for lunch. I need to come up with a meal plan and shop. I have plenty of meat in the freezer, just need the fresh stuff.
Karla, I know it is hard to leave your dad and Kerry knowing they shouldn't be alone any more. I fight this battle every day with Mom but at least she is less than 2 miles away and I can get to her in a flash. I know that moving her now is overwhelming to her and I will not force her as long as I feel she is as safe as she can be. I do wish she would have moved to independent living.
Our bathroom remodel will be replacing the tile and wallboards in the shower, repainting and regrouting floor tile. We are keeping the tub. A walk in will not fit. Our house is a story and a half and did not have plumbing when built in 1920. The roof eaves cut into every upstairs room and the bathroom doesn't have enough space around the eaves for a walk in. So the old tub stays and we work around it. The wall is crumbling behind the tiles on the outside side wall or we wouldn't be redoing it.
Waving hi to all
Patti
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Getting ready to paint and hang and install the cabinets.
Karla
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Hello all.
I've been busy, but what else is new. We spent January 1 and 2 in the woods - went hiking then spent the night overnight at a cabin and hiked some more the next day with friends. Then today John helped Brad with his kitchen - they are finally getting new countertops, so had to take the old ones off so the people could measure, then did some last minute final touches, and put the old countertops back on until the new ones are finished. I had my eye checkup and then went to mom's apartment. I've spent the afternoon and evening cataloging her stuff into a spreadsheet with pictures for people to say what they want. I also sold her electric wheelchair and advertised her recliner.
I have recommitted myself to WW. I weighed in yesterday and it wasn't pretty - I've gone up five pounds since before Thanksgiving. I've been doing okay on my food for the last two days except for a few snacks today. I'm trying to be really dedicated about tracking, because that keeps me straight.
I made a great soup from the WW site. I'll download and post the recipe. I don't know how many calories or carbs but it is about 5 PP per serving, and VERY filling!
Italian Spinach and Tortellini Soup
55Points
Prep:
0:10 minutes Preparation Time
Cook:
0:15 minutes Cook Time
Serves 6 people
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients
olive oil 2tsp
uncooked onion(s)
1medium, chopped
uncooked zucchini
2medium, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
garlic clove(s)
3medium clove(s), minced
Italian seasoning
1 1⁄2tsp
table salt
3⁄4tsp
black pepper
1⁄4tsp, freshly ground
red pepper flakes
1⁄8tsp
canned diced tomatoes
14 1⁄2oz (1 can)
water
1⁄2cup(s)
store-bought refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
9oz (1 package) refrigerated
fresh baby spinach
4cup(s), loosely packed or chopped fresh spinach
basil
1⁄4cup(s), chopped
grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3Tbsp
fat free chicken broth
5cup(s)
Instructions
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Stir in broth, tomatoes, and water. Cover and bring to boil. Stir in tortellini and cook according to timing on package. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
Ladle soup evenly into 6 bowls and sprinkle evenly with basil and pecorino.
Serving size: about 1 3/4 cups soup and 1/2 tablespoon cheese
Serving size: about 1¾ cups soup and ½ tablespoon cheese
Notes
Serve the soup with a slice of crusty French bread (a 1-ounce piece will increase the per-serving SmartPoints by 2).
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Patti, I simply can't seem to keep track of days either. I've been off kilter for about three weeks. Your bathroom remodel will be what you need it to be. Have you selected the tile yet? There are some really pretty ones out there.
Karla, yes that all looks very familiar. And a gofer is a very needed person! We kept sending someone to the hardware store, a couple times a day, it seemed. That let the skilled workers keep working. Hope the cabinets get installed smoothly.
Bert, I would definitely lose my mojo if I were cooking two dinners! Is there anything Mike will eat that you can eat? What about chicken dishes or fish?
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Janet, a PJ day every once in a while is a wonderful treat. How is that no muscle working?
Cindy, sorry you were sick over your break!0 -
Good Morning, Ladies. Today is going to be sunny and in the high 40's. I'm taking a walk in the neighborhood if my feet will cooperate. My plantar facitis has flared up again as well as my knees, but I'm not letting that stop me. This afternoon we are going to Greg's JV girls BB game.
Diane: I'm determined to make good choices for meals. If I have to make two meals, I do. Mike is a beef eater. He'll sometimes eat chicken, but usually turns up his nose if it's baked. I made him pork tenderloins last night and I baked chicken tenderloins. I do get tired of making two dinners, but when I eat what he eats, that's when I lose my focus. So, it is what it is. I did make Keto garlic bread sticks the other night, and he really liked them. I was shocked! Tonight will probably be chili that I had made and froze, so I'll eat that. It's made with lean ground beef. I'll just have to limit my cracker intake. I wish I could find no carb crackers!
Patti: I have a Garmin fit bit. I only use it to see how many steps I get in a day. I know it has other functions, but I don't use it. My old Garmin's battery lasted over 2 years. I didn't by another battery for it as part of the device broke away from the band when I interchanged the band colors.
Waving hi to Karla, Cindy, and Janet. Have a great day, everyone!
Bert0 -
Good morning ladies. Another full day beginning on my father’s home.
Bert- Although it hurt like the dickens, the injection of steroids I had in my right foot fully took my pain away. Do your ankles ever hurt too? I admire your drive. I am lucky Glenn eats whatever I do. I just up his portion and add instant mashed potatoes sometimes and rolls. My husband is a big man. 6’2” and 235.
Diane- I’m hoping all goes smooth for them also. The plumbers are supposed to finish also. I thought I posted the before and after pictures yesterday of where we stood. We have the same LED long light fixture I just updated in my house. Can’t wait to see it all.
My father did tell me to go buy me some clothes or whatever I wanted.
Karla
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