WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY 2013

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  • freedomviki
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    Hi everyone, and thank you to barbiecat (love the picture!) for this message board. I just joined MFP on July 4th, thanks to a friend telling me about this site. Barbiecat, your last post was so inspirational -- all about gardening and your line dancing. It was scary to post all my food and see the bottom line, but what a great motivator. Here's to all of you on this board. Cheers :drinker: freedomviki from Happy Valley, Oregon
  • freedomviki
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    Sandy and wizziwig, we have three cats (12, 10, and 4), and they all throw up something somewhere at some point :frown: Yes, they barf on the carpet instead of on the linoleum in the kitchen or bath (how do they know?). Our Siamese mix used to defecate in her crate when we took her 4 miles to the vet, but none of our kitties had a problem with two cross-country moves. Go figure! :happy: Good luck with your little guy. :glasses:
  • altygirl
    altygirl Posts: 57 Member
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    Good morning ladies. I'm ready for breakfast at Wimbledon .... love it!

    Michele - your pool is beautiful.

    Grandmallie - a 40 lbs loss is amazing ... just one pound to go! The situation with your FIL is so sad and so cruel. Thank goodness he has you and your DH.

    My sweet old Maisie is sitting under the kitchen table with her head resting against my leg. Who says cats aren't affectionate? We don't know for sure how old she is. When I adopted her the shelter thought she was about 2 but I noticed she was limping. My Vet said she had arthritis - could be 4, could be 7. A while later they did a test when she was boarding there, something they check in the eyes to estimate age, and said between 7 and 9. I always split the difference so when I told my Vet about 3 years ago that I estimated her to be about 15, the Vet said she thought Maisie was older, closer to 20. So who knows. She looks like an old lady but she eats really well and, of course, she gets whatever she wants. Having to keep the good food away from my dog and my 18lb cat is a challenge though!

    I need to make notes when I'm reading because I've already forgotten what I was going to write.

    Have a great day (I love Grandmallie's "sparkly day") :smile:
  • drkatiebug
    drkatiebug Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Good morning, all!

    Grandmallie, I wish you the best with your family issues. Congrats on your weight loss.

    Finished my walk and am now enjoying my coffee. The neighbor brought us a few goodies from his garden yesterday. I had one of the tomatoes with my breakfast this morning. Yummy! We had the squash for supper last night. Also yummy! I love summer with all the fresh fruits and vegetables.

    Enjoy your weekend.
  • Kalley1959
    Kalley1959 Posts: 287 Member
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    Good morning from hot & humid Ontario,

    I don't have much time this morning as I'm heading out to get the grocery shopping etc done before it gets worse. I had to stop in and share that I lost 3.6 lbs this week. I broke through and have lost 51.8 lbs this year! My DD bought me a fitbit One last night so I'm off to rack up my steps :happy:

    Thank you all for being my inspiration and my motivation! :heart:

    Will catch up later today.

    Sandy
  • sandhillsmom
    sandhillsmom Posts: 319 Member
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    Happy Saturday to everyone!

    I'm off to a late start for the day for me. Welcome to all the new posters! This is a wonderful group of ladies and very supportive. When ever I am feeling self defeating I just read through this list and it brings me back to the track I want to be on.

    I truly need to work on cleaning house today since that got put off yesterday helping a friend move. I'm off to burn some calories!!

    I'll try to do a more supportive post later on. Right now I just feel the need to get something done around here! LOL

    Jan in sweltering steamy NC
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    :huh: Lorrain: Celery is free and filling--unless you use it to scoop up some fattening topping. Leafy greens are also free without dressing. Good luck.:flowerforyou:

    Butterflychg: I’m a retired middle school teacher. I miss the kids and my colleagues, but not the stress and exhaustion. Good luck staying on track when you get back to work.:flowerforyou:

    Joyce: I’m happy to hear you had such a good time with your daughter and family. :smile: A new pizza place opened in our town and we went twice. I like Papa Murphy’s pizza better. (Take and Bake.) Pizza is now a rare treat, especially since we’re working hard to keep DHs blood pressure at reasonable levels and that requires controlling salt.:ohwell:

    Laura: Welcome. We do get a lot of support from one another. The motivation comes from deep inside each person. The support surely helps us to sustain it. Welcome.:flowerforyou:

    Janie: Congrats on your self-discipline. WTG!:flowerforyou:

    Viv: I hope you get a check up. Feeling tired and unmotivated can be a sign of health trouble. It can also be a sign of all sorts of other things, but better to know for sure.:flowerforyou:

    Marcie: There are a bunch of nice ladies in CO, and it looks like you’re another. Welcome.:flowerforyou:



    I’m still sick, and I’m mad at the doctor’s office for refusing me antibiotics. Maybe they have a good medical reason for this, and I implore those of you who are RN’s to help me understand this. Are they justified in making me spend two to three weeks without antibiotics while I have a sinus headache and am coughing up green slime?:sick: :angry: :explode: :huh:

    Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon

    July goals:
    1. Log every bite
    2. Move more.
  • phoo513
    phoo513 Posts: 231 Member
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    Good Morning, Ladies- I stopped in to quickly read the posts and have been here 30 minutes! Oh, my. So, here are the replies that I noted as I read. I am going to throw on my suit and head for the pool. I have already mowed my little yard, so now I can do the pool. I really enjoy this site. You are all so kind..

    Vicki- We play the same card game, but call it "Up Your GeeGee". :bigsmile: It is a good game to play w/ a large number of people. May the quarters come your way!

    Chekerr- Welcome.:flowerforyou: The food tracking is amazing and sometimes frightening for me, too. The part I can't seem to get into range is the sodium- I Love my salt. Well, it gives me something to work on. When you track your exercise, you will be surprised by the positive feelings to see that normal activities do count!

    Lorraine!- I will give you all my calories, if you will give me that LOBSTER :love: Oh, I dream about fresh caught lobster..... not much of it around down here in Az!

    Yanniejannie- You are a very good friend. Glad your friend's hubby is stable.

    Phyllis- Great job on meeting your goal! Your ticker says, "1 lb to go", that is wonderful! :drinker:

    Helen- When my Old boy, Runt, started doing that, it was a urinary tract infection. After treating him for it several times, and him being in pain and miserable, I had to make that most awful decision. Check w/ your vet about the urinary tract, and I hope that the antibiotics work well for Maisie. Take care, my friend. This crazy cat lady is sending you lots of prayers and love.

    Meg- The 4th went fine. I was a bit over, but nothing to send me into hiding & denial. But, as usual, everything I love is so high in sodium! Drat and Damn! I took along Boar's Head hot dogs because they are gluten free, but the hostess had the Hebrew National Hot Dogs there. Now, you have to understand that I have a very strange mind, but when she wrapped the HNHD in bacon before putting them on the bbq grill, I could picture in my mind some poor, elderly rabbi just rolling his eyes!

    Butterfly- I taught for 32 years, and I loved, loved, loved my 7th and 8th graders. I could get them to try anything- they were fearless!

    Laura- Welcome! :flowerforyou:

    Barbie- Thanks for the advice about the cat. If I could get a vet down here to give me a sedative, I would do that, but they don't know me well enough to trust me w/ the syringe, and he won't take a pill.

    I know there are other newbies on the board today that I missed, so Welcome, all:flowerforyou: I look forward to getting to know you.

    Michele- You do realize you could make a ton of money running a Bed/Breakfast/PoolParty for just your MFP friends!:laugh:

    Bye for now!
    Pat (Phoo)
  • walker54
    walker54 Posts: 64 Member
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    Happy Saturday, Ladies,
    Got an earlier start on the weeds this morning and worked another 90 minutes. Finished the cutting bed in the front of the house and have some flowers in the house for a change. Loved listening to the birds, and especially liked logging it in my exercise column. Still lots more work to do, but if the rain holds off for another day or two it would really help.

    I found my index card from last summer where I list all my measurements and weight from my weekly weigh ins. I compared my list to this time last year and am amazed! I lost a net of 20 lbs. (I gained back at the end of the school year from all my self-medicating with chocolate :blushing: , so I'm working my way back to my overall loss.) I lost 14.5 inches overall. THAT'S motivating, and I really needed it. I've been feeling so discouraged because I gained back about 7 lbs this past spring. I also had an NSV when I tried on last summer's bathing suit. I remember being so excited when I bought it because I had lost a few lbs and could get into a tankini for the first time. I tried it on last week and it's toooooo big -- like if I wore it in the water I could be in danger of "overexposure" when I stood up.:laugh: So, darn it, I had to buy a new bathing suit for this summer. I got a one piece this time, and I passed up the suits with the attached skirts that hide all the jiggly bits. I still have some jiggly bits, but they aren't as bad as they used to be. :blushing:

    Thanks for the words of encouragement about my DH in retirement. He has a long list of projects and hobbies, but he hasn't found his new rhythm yet. He's used to bossing people around all day so I know this is a hard transition for him. I'm trying to be patient and hope I can keep smling until August when school starts again.:grumble: I'm supposed to be focusing on thinking positive thoughts this month. LOL

    Time to make my lunch shake. Hope everyone has a good weekend! Drink your water:drinker:

    Polly
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,263 Member
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    A great hallo to my Vit F friends. Well, the family are gone and I already miss them.:cry: DGS was completely and absolutely delightful and kept us all amused with his chatter and inventive mind. He is a real tribute to his parents.:heart: DH played endless ball games and sat him on his lap for lunch. DGS adores him and he isn't a blood relative. DH has such a natural affinity with children. He used to be a secondary school teacher, but younger children always love him.:love: He was the same with my DB's kids. We were right out of the picture ! I guess kids know a good 'un when they see one. :heart: :heart: :heart:

    My wonderful blessing was that DDIL said that she wanted to spend Christmas Day with us this year !!!!!!!! Wow ! I am on cloud nine ! That will be them and DGS and the new baby DGD. It feels like a dream come true for me. Let's hope it comes to pass. I will be starting planning now ! I can't think of any more wonderful gift.:drinker: :love: :heart: Christmas was always a difficult time for me when I was younger and I often suffered from severe depression around that time. A couple of years running I rang the Samaritans. It is much better now, but there are so many choices and so many people to please with all the vast extended family that it rarely works out the way I want it - to have it here, in my own home, with my family around me. As you all know, I love to cook. :laugh: and last year we didn't even bother with a tree because we were chasing around the country visiting people. Fingers crossed it all works out !

    Love to you all and thank you for your complements re the skinny blue jeans. You mean a lot to me.

    Heather in summery Hampshire UK
  • slim4health56
    slim4health56 Posts: 439 Member
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    What a cool group! I've just finished my first week and still exploring this site. I love the idea of posting monthly goals - thanks for sharing this idea. Since I'm new to goal setting, maybe I'll give weekly goals a try until my confidence is a little stronger. It's been SO long since I exercised, I've started out at 30 minutes at a slow pace - hard to imagine I'm the same person who once hiked the Grand Canyon and Mt. Batur, but even after a week of little walks I feel better.
  • altygirl
    altygirl Posts: 57 Member
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    Pat (Phoo) - thanks for your lovely words. I had to laugh at the name you gave your old boy - Runt! Maisie has had a couple of regular check-ups since she stopped using the litter tray and she's been fine, no infections. She goes very deliberately on (or around) the puppy pad, so it's not that she has lost bladder control. She just chooses to go where she chooses. And when I'm 100 I might just do the same!!
  • janemartin02
    janemartin02 Posts: 2,653 Member
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    Happy sat.
    today we have a family 4th celebration,we do yearly.However,hubby worked last night and has had 2 hours of sleep and works tonite.Decided to pass as it`s a 70 mile ride one way.A little disappointed.Hubby is cooking some burgers and we`ll have our own cookout.
    Have a great day all!!
    HUGS
    jane
  • jreneecal
    jreneecal Posts: 118 Member
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    Yes accountability rules, sometimes that is all that gets me moving and makes me think twice about what or how much I eat!
    Thank you all for being here and sharing your struggles and lives.
  • jreneecal
    jreneecal Posts: 118 Member
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    Ok, Ok on my way to the elliptical right now. Just realized that I joined MFP mid June and haven't added any friends yet. Anyone interested?
    Julie, Calif.
  • 1yoyoKAT
    1yoyoKAT Posts: 206 Member
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    It sure is hot here today, whew. Cut down on the outdoor walking a bit, but did a good job at Planet Fitness today. I tend to be a bit competitive and I love outlasting the younger folks on the Arc Trainer. Heh, some of them jump on and hop right back off after 5-10 minutes. It makes me feel smug and superior, even though I’m older and fatter. :huh:

    Does anyone have any recommendations on a nice smelling effective body lotion that has sunscreen in it?

    Also, anyone using fitbit? Would you be interested in being buddies on there, it’s motivating to try to keep up the steps with other people. I have a younger friend from work on there and she gets over 20,000 a day usually… I’m resigned to letting her win. She’s even hit 30,000 on some days. :noway: With all my dog walks and puttering around I usually get over 10,000 with no problem.

    Vicki, thanks for the welcome. Congrats on losing 89 pounds! So what if you can’t see it in the mirror yourself… I bet you can feel it! Keep it up!

    Rori, thanks for the idea on keeping up and congrats on your stadium strategy and success!

    Kathy, what kind of dog is that in your picture? I have a morkie and he has a similar type face. Glad to read that your toe is not broken.

    Jb, great news on the medical results!

    Janie, thanks for the word doc idea, I’m trying it out today. You mentioned a heart rate of 140-145… I get mine up over 160 regularly when I’m on the Arc Trainer. I checked it out with a cardiologist and he said go for it. Great job getting to the gym!

    Barbie, thanks for the keeping up advice. That looks like a really nice cat area in your picture. I have 2 cats, definitely a cat person. Just about a year ago I got my first ever dog. He’s about the same size as the cats, but what a different experience!
    Jodios, thanks for the welcome. I wish I could participate in the squat challenge, but I’m banned from knee bending weight bearing type exercises by my physical therapist (bad knee) :frown:

    Maureen, so sorry to hear about your loss. Welcome to the group. I’m new too. It’s motivating to get compliments, and I agree it sure does help the will power along!

    Michele, that’s what I call a power nap, WTG. Gorgeous looking pool! Great sounding exercise!

    Brooke, thanks for the posting advice and reminding me to save. How did you get your dog to do yoga?

    Katla, thanks for the posting advice, I like the adding smiles part.:flowerforyou:

    Pat, driving is fine! Yeah, that self-talk is something. We’re so quick to be critical of ourselves. I once learned in a seminar “think as if”. So, I try to do that as much as I can.

    Sandy, I have a cat who’s a barfer too. I have him on sensitive stomach food, but a couple of other things have helped a lot. I noticed sometimes he eats too fast and too much at once and that leads to ralphing… so, I limit what he can have at one time. Also, I got a “furminator” brush and brush his fur regularly with it. He is an avid groomer and this seems to help reduce the barfing.

    Heather, congrats on the skinny jeans!

    Meg, gold star for keeping up and thanks for the word back and forth advice. That seems to be the way to cool kids are keeping up.

    Marcie, great job on healthy eating as the priority instead of dieting! Cute dog!

    Polly, congrats on the bathing suit! That is so cool that your suit from last last summer is too big and you were able to pass up the attached skirt! Sounds like you haven’t just lost weight, but also found confidence! WTG!

    OK… whew, apologies to anyone I may have missed.

    Kat in (hot and humid) Maryland

    July goals:
    • Keep eating in a healthy way
    • Get to the gym more (2-3 times per week)
    • Have updated assessment with trainer at the gym
    • Make the damn dentist appt already!
  • megblair1
    megblair1 Posts: 1,218 Member
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    Happy Saturday! It’s hot and humid here today and our chance of rain has fallen from 90% to just 30%. I puttered around today; worked on the test bank a bit; got my walk in despite the heat, and scrubbed our master bathroom floor for an hour. I swear it’s a different color now LOL. We are way behind on deep cleaning; we should have had our bathroom and closets done in February!

    DH worked on his Jeep all day and we totally forgot we were going to a movie today! So we decided to go next weekend to the Cinedine…its’ a theater where they have a full service food and drink menu and they serve you.

    Butterfly: welcome to the group. Come back often

    Joyce: sounds like you had a good time. We have CiCi’s here but I have never been. I did have a laugh at you threatening to
    send a photo of DH eating his sausage pizza to the cardiologist!

    Laura: welcome to you too!

    Christschild: I love Morningstar products. We try to eat vegetarian twice a week so sometimes I add their meatless crumbles to one of my casserole recipes for a vegetarian version. I love their burgers.

    Janie: great job getting that workout in!

    Viv: good luck in the race for life…let us know how it goes

    Marcie: welcome to the group. You will find the ladies here very inspirational!

    DeeDee: well as you know the foods that I don’t like are a rare find, so I was secretly pleased that the cake was awful LOL

    Grandmallie: boy do I understand how that free dog costs so much! Benny is the world’s most expensive shelter dog! Hope your
    baby gets well soon!

    Freedomvicki; welcome to you too! We sure have a lot of new faces around here!

    Altygirl: breakfast at Wimbledon? Oh my that sounds delightful!

    Sandy: great news on the weight loss! That is fabulous!

    Jan: hope it cools off for you soon!

    Katla: feel better soon!

    Pat; I about spit my water out of my nose when I read about the hostess wrapping the HNHD in bacon. That pretty much defeats the purpose!

    Polly: wow those measurements are wonderful! I have lost 21 pounds but very few inches. I do have some clothes that are really loose, but I’d like to see your measurements on my board LOL. Congrats!

    Heather: how wonderful about the upcoming Christmas! I do understand the depression at that time of year; my mother, bless her heart mostly LOL, used gift giving times as weapons and I think that created my problem. DH and my kids are wonderful about it and try very hard not to use presents to show affection, but doing things that are different and out of the ordinary.

    Slim4health: good for you to begin your exercise routine and keep to it!

    Jane: hope you enjoy your bbq at home

    Julie: I’m always open to friending people on this board; I like to keep up with people more my own age although I do have some
    younger friends here.

    Well I think I have recovered from the floor scrubbing. DD#2 is at work so the cooking is up to us….salmon with lime sauce, rosemary biscuits with peach butter, zucchini from the garden and watermelon. Sounds high in calories, but not so. Take care everyone. I hope it cools down for the Senior Open next week. I’d melt on the golf course right now. Meg
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,945 Member
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    What a cool group! I've just finished my first week and still exploring this site. I love the idea of posting monthly goals - thanks for sharing this idea. Since I'm new to goal setting, maybe I'll give weekly goals a try until my confidence is a little stronger. It's been SO long since I exercised, I've started out at 30 minutes at a slow pace - hard to imagine I'm the same person who once hiked the Grand Canyon and Mt. Batur, but even after a week of little walks I feel better.

    :flowerforyou: welcome,
    I love your dog picture...is it your dog? tell us about her......many of us are pet lovers.

    I started my weight loss journey with a single one day resolution "plan and post my food for the day and stick to the plan no matter what.....refuse any food offered to me" I did that one day at a time as I learned more about what I wanted to do.

    :heart: Barbie from NW Washingon where the weather is perfect today.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,945 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Meg, our neighborhood is firework free because we live in a manufactured home park with a bunch of rules (most of them make life much better for all of us)…..the place we lived before had a homeowners’ association with many covenants. I like the fireworks on TV or at special big city venues but not what people set off at their homes. Jake called the veterinarian’s office yesterday about dog boarding and found out that our vet had been in emergency surgery all night July 4 with fireworks related animal emergencies.

    :flowerforyou: Marcie, welcome…..I got my weight down to the low end of the healthy range and my doctor told me to gain weight…….gaining was scary……so I continue to log food and exercise so I can keep my weight from going to far the wrong way….what a darling dog

    :flowerforyou: Freedomvicki, noticing the problem is the first step on a journey that will change your life….now that you know how to post your food, you can examine your food diary and see where to make changes for the better.

    :flowerforyou: Kat, I don’t have a fitbit, but I’ve carried a pedometer for years and at first had to push hard to get 10,000 steps a day. Now my daily goal is 18,000 and yesterday with two line dance classes and lots of dog walking, I got over 30,000…….we got the cat condo for Bernie two years ago when we moved to a new house and had to keep him inside after four years of being an indoor/outdoor cat. He loves it and has adjusted well to being confined in the house.

    :bigsmile: We have awesome weather here today and I’ve put in two sessions on my yard project and made great strides. I have to be careful to not work too long and put a bad strain on my back. I’ve spent other parts of the day walking dogs but once the temperature got over 65 degrees they got too hot and didn’t want to stay out for more than 10 minutes. We have the A/C on so the house is cool and they think they’ll like going out…..then the heat hits them and they want to come back in.


    :heart: Barbie from sunny and warm NW Washington

    July Resolutions:
    *finish preparing the flower bed in the back yard
    *continue with the squat challenge
    * a plank a day
    *18,000 steps a day
    *don’t take things personally
    *don’t expect praise or recognition
    *keep doing the things that have been working

    1461351h0otf8hco5.gif

    "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,364 Member
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    Vicki - that's an awesome weight loss!

    Well, I didn't do so good at the anniversary party. I was thinking about Bryan. Probably because the lady bought Diana a wedding gift but then I told her the story and why I wouldn't give it to her. I'm just going to give her the scarf and then our wedding gift. I kept looking around, seeing how others had their children there, and got in a very somber mood. And I ate. Even went back for seconds on the dessert. Now why did I do that? I wasn't even hungry. I just felt so low. Why is it bothering me tonight? I don't know

    jodios - our house was built with 5 bedrooms, Vince uses one (the smallest one) for his office, we have one, Jessica usually stays in one. The one downstairs does have its own bathroom, behind the bar is a microwave, so you're welcome anytime at all.

    Helen - I never knew that cats can develop a dementia/alzheimers disease. thanks for informing me.

    Jan - your day sounds so wonderful!

    Meg - I'm guessing, although I really don't have any facts - that right before the wedding we may be allowed to talk to Diana. You know, really, we don't know where this is coming from. Does she not want to talk to us? Or is it Bryan who doesn't want us to talk to her? Or is Bryan maybe covering for Diana? Not a clue, but we'll probably find out at the wedding. If she doesn't talk to us, that's a clue. If Bryan will talk to us, that's a clue. I'm just going to have to try to be as forgiving as possible. Maybe that's what God is teaching me -- how to be forgiving. We shall see....... Oh, those donuts were so good. Fortunately, Vince ate the last of them. Not sure why, but I did find that being powdered, I had to put the powder sugar on them right before having it. Not sure why if I put it on sooner then it would go into the donut. I took out the butter for the cookies that I'll make for Bryan. The recipe says that you should coat the cookies in confectioners sugar before using them. Well, I'm just going to take a bag of confectioners sugar with me and Bryan will have to do that.

    butterflychg - welcome! You can keep your 100 temps, that's just fine by me.

    Laura - so glad you did find us. Don't be scared -- we'll be with you every step of the way. You'll find some amazing gals on this board and great ideas, too.

    Viv - we have been having TERRIBLE weather. For something like the last 13 days it has rained on and off. Hopefully, that'll mean that in August when we have the Newcomer social it won't rain. Hope you feel better and that the doc can help. We have one cat that almost always throws up after eating. We know that it's because she eats too fast. See, she was a stray, she's small, so probably while she was a stray she learned that if you want to eat, better eat fast otherwise the bigger cats will get it. It'll just take her time to learn that she doesn't need to rush. It may take years, so I'm not concerned. Good luck at the race

    Marcie - what a great motto you have. I think I was once 117. That was back when I was in high school. Welcome!

    DeeDee - better hurry up to get the lumber for the arc, I understand there is a shortage.....lol

    Went to the farmer's market. Today was the first time this year that corn on the cob was there so, of course, I got some. Ken & Lynette are coming over tomorrow so we'll have that. I also got some golden beets. We'll have them. Not sure if Ken & Lynette like them, but I do so we'll have them also.

    Went to yoga, then some food shopping, then home to make a luau cake (new recipe) for Ken. I have a chocolate banana cake in the freezer for Lynette and Vince. Cooked the corn on the cob, boiled the beets, made 4 batches of these (what I found on the net, but to me they are like butter cookies) Spanish wedding cookies. I'll take them over to Bryan. Now I'm tired but need to get to church to serve.

    grandmalle - one pound away -- awesome. Hope things work out for Chester. Our "free" cat cost us a small fortune, too. Adopting Lexi cost us another fortune. But you're so right, when you look at that face, those eyes, you just forget everything.

    freedomviki - welcome!

    Sandy - thanks for sharing. That's great

    Pat - hot dogs wrapped in bacon???? Never heard of it. But I agree, some poor rabbi was probably rolling his eyes....lol Thanks for the smile. Have you ever used the Pill Pockets for giving your cat a pill? Lexi wouldn't take a pill, but in a Pill Pocket she will. Same with Loki.

    Polly - wow! 14.5inches. that's amazing. And that too big tankini. Sounds like shopping is in your destiny!

    Heather - Christmas Eve is a biggie for me. I wouldn't mind trekking all over on Christmas Day, but christmas Eve I want to have here. Hope it always works out that way for me. Hope you get your Christmas

    slim4health - welcome!

    Had a little bit of drama today. Denise needs her tuition paid before the 15th (which means we need to pay it before we leave for Spain.). We told her when she first decided that she only wanted to go to the community college in PA that we would pay on the condition that she maintains a C or better average. She's been taking 2 courses/semester. (Yes, she's 26, STILL doesn't have as Associates degree). Well, in her last two classes she got a "D". Vince was livid! I guess she thought that we'd just pay the tuition and not look at her grades. Really, the best thing for her to do would be to move back here, go to school full time (we'd pay for a bachelor's degree), get her degree. She wouldn't have rent or utilities costs. My guess is that if we're not going to pay, she's not going to go to college. She was telling Jess (who told us) how she doesn't feel she has a support system here, that every time they go to Pete's they give them money. To me that isn't a support system, that's a crutch. To me, the job of a parent is to assist your child so that when you are no longer there to care for them, they can care for themselves. What is Denise learning? Every time she needs money, she goes to his mother. And what's going to happen when his mother is no longer able to give them money? We're waiting for Denise to call us back, Vince left a message saying that we needed to talk. My guess is that she's afraid to call. Just something else to put a damper on what should be a joyous occasion.

    What's wrong with me? I just don't feel like doing any formal exercise tomorrow. I'll clean for Ken & Lynette

    This is the first time we've had any company using the pool. So not only do I feel that I need to clean the house, I'm trying to prepare as much of the food as possible in advance, but I also need to clean the pool tomorrow. Trying to get everything prepared.

    Michele in NC