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So sorry about your grandnephews, Linda. I do hope they will feel better soon. That's good about learning all those piano chords. It is good to learn new skills. As for the Dr visit yesterday, Colin has to have a ct scan and ultrasound on his back and shoulders. We won't know any results for a couple of weeks, so probably not till after the New Year as everything shuts down over Christmas/New Year. He is still in pain, but is moving a little bit better today. He could have new crush fractures happening....
Judith, glad to see you call in and I hope you are having a great sleep! Glad you liked the Christmas pictures. I need to take another one of my sideboard now a few Christmas cards have arrived.
Just having a domestic chores day here.
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We have not gotten any actual Christmas "cards" yet only photos of 3 or 4 pictures of the families with the words Merry Christmas in the center. I do like to see how the families have grown but I also am curious about what has happened to them during the year. We do an annual Christmas letter and write a personal note on the bottom for each one. People are so busy now that they do not have the time to do personal things like us retired people can do. Although I do feel pretty busy in my life right now being retired.
I "found" some sirloin steak in the bottom of my freezer today that was a bit freezer burnt so I am making beef stew out of it tonight for dinner. It is in the crock pot bubbling away and will be delicious in a few hours. I try to make big batches and use it for several meals but I already had leftovers last night and still have some left over so I am giving my husband a break from leftovers and I will use them tomorrow night. He is so good to eat what ever I make but I do not like to have leftovers several days in a row.1 -
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I slept in today because I could not get to sleep until 4AM. Some days are like that so I get up and read or do something quiet so I do not wake up my husband. I probably mentioned this book before but I am reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Comer. I stopped reading iit for a little while and got back to it last night. This time it was on the 4th practice of "unhurrying" which was slowing. He has eliminated all distractions (social media, e-mail, messages, etc) from his phone so he can enjoy quiet. He does have them on his laptop but only checks them occasionally. Although not all of us can do this entirely, I know that it would be to my best interest if I did cut down on these distractions. No, I will not stop MFP because I do care about my friends and what is going on in their lives but I could limit the time I do stop to look to see what people are doing on Facebook, only check my e-mail at certain times a day, and limit watching what is going on in the news. Many times what is going on in the news is worrisome and causes anxiety anyway.
My husband was sick during the night so he was up late also. He may have what the grand nephews and now grand nieces have. The parents are now also getting sick. He is taking things slow today and eating very bland foods. It could be something he ate at a restaurant also which would be much better than the virus because food poisoning is much faster to get rid of.
I woke up to snow this morning. It was not in the forecast last night. The weather is getting colder with a low of 15 degrees tonight. We are staying warm with our gas insert in the fireplace today. It is nice to have a free enough schedule that we can pick and choose what we do on some days. If we had jobs in the workplace, this would not be possible.
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That's true about the busyness of retirement, Linda. When you are in charge of your own schedule it can quickly fill up. You are right about spending too much time on social media, and I am glad you will continue to check in with us. I usually do that once a day but can lose a lot of the day with FB and the like. I do run several groups and pages so to keep my commitment to people on those pages, I need to check in, but it could be managed better for sure. I do the same, writing cards for some and a Christmas letter for those I know are interested or who we don't get to see (like overseas friends and family). I am slow this year and need to get the rest of my Christmas mail out. I have been getting a few cards. I do hope your husband recovers quickly from his illness and that you don't catch it too.
Marilyn, good choices to share with us. I hope you are doing well.
Judith, thinking of you today as always.
It's birthday time for some. I need to make a pizza base this morning for a surprise birthday party of a friend tonight. Then this afternoon I am going to help make food for another birthday party scheduled for tomorrow night. I can't go to it so am spending time with the birthday friend this afternoon instead. We already shifted some bedroom furniture this morning to better accommodate the new bed. It's bigger than our old one and things weren't quite right before. Now everything will work better, we hope. We used a trolley to move things. No backs were strained in the process. Lol!
Have good days, everyone. God bless you.0 -
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We are seeing "light at the end of the tunnel" with our Christmas cards/gifts. We bought a bunch of Amazon gift cards for the administrative staff at the school. We figured they could buy what they want and will be pleased with it. Gift cards are getting easier to give especially when teen agers are involved. Many of their requests are pretty expensive!
Tonight we have the church Christmas party. It will be appetizers, desserts and drinks. The person in charge of the desserts asked what we can eat so we told her fruit. At least we know there will be something we can eat there. We are grateful for anything they do for us really. Usually we have pot lucks but this time we do not have to bring any food - just come and enjoy.
I am making cookies for my husband today. It is a recipe that my aunt made for my Grandma who was a diabetic. It is totally sweetened with fruit - raisons, apples and dried fruit (in my case I have mango's available). I use whole wheat flour to make it a little more healthy also. My husband is feeling better but still has a few abdominal pains periodically. He will be going to the party so that shows he is improved. He will be looking at the bland appetizers to protect his stomach from spices.0 -
I saw an easy and cute way to give gift cards today, Linda. It was at https://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/live-replay-holiday-card-series-2022-day-22-wrapping-paper-gift-card-holders/
Glad to hear your husband is feeling better and how nice to be spoiled. 😊
Marilyn, yes, none of us know everything.
Today I got all my Christmas cards addressed except for the ones I am hand delivering to neighbours. I still need to make a few more of those. Tonight we have a Christmas dinner at the Clubhouse and I just finished dressing for that.
Be blessed, my friends.0 -
Good Morning 🌅
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˚ ˛ •˛• ｜ 田田｜門｜ From My Home to Yours 🏠
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Wishing you a Great Day and Blessed Weekend ahead!
Linda, I am so sorry to hear about your grand-nephew being so sick with high fever, trust he recovers quickly, praying for him, so sorry about your 1 year old nephew who has been taken to the ER with dehydration from diarrhea, my prayers are for a quick recovery and complete healing for both boys. Hope you don’t get too much more snow, good to hear you are playing piano, I agree the newer songs and choruses are harder to learn but I’m sure you will do well as you continue to play.
Susan, thank you for posting the recipes, will try them and all our recipes we have once I am able to eat those foods again. Hope you and Colin are doing well. Trusting the appointment with his Doctor helped him and Colin does better. How are the new beds for you both? Hope they are helping with your medical challenges and you are sleeping better.
Marilyn, thank you again for d so hating the quotes and for coming along side everyone to help with the team especially while I was away past several days.
In closing I want you all to know how much you all are so appreciated here. Thank you all for your kind words and all your prayers while I was away during some challenging medical appointments. Your words of encouragement has blessed me much! God Bless you all. ❤️🤗🙏0 -
Susan - thank-you so much for the link to making gift card holders. It is so cute and looks like it took a long time but really it is pretty simple. It will make gift cards much more special than just put in a white letter envelope. I appreciate having two of you being crafty that can help us who do not have a big imagination look more professional.
Tonight we have a time scheduled to go since Christmas carols to neighbors then to come back to get warm with hot chocolate and cookies. It is supposed to be pretty cold so it will be good to get back into a warm house to warm up. Since I can not have chocolate and try not to eat sugar, I can have a nice cup of hot tea to warm up. I can take my own tea bag in case our friends do not have any without caffeine.
Judith - it is good to have you back posting. I really like the Christmas devotional you posted for yesterday. It is so true that we need to get back to what we were created for. I hope you can have a good few days to rest up from all your appointments.
Marilyn - thanks for all the quotes and your postings. They are so practical and though provoking. Sometimes as the saying goes - "a picture is worth a 1000 words".
I'm praying for a restful and blessed weekend for all of you.1 -
Good morning, friends. It's Sunday here and I think I will be on my own at church. Colin has had no treatment for his back, just diagnostics, and he is feeling worse today. He needed help standing up from bed this morning. He had some breakfast and pain killers and is back lying down, sleeping. He has had a few brief breaks from acute pain but not from all pain, and today it is acute again. He may be getting more crush fractures in the spine, caused by his own slight weight ( he is not overweight at all). It's what happens as severe Osteoporosis progresses. If you know standard deviations, his bone density is in the lowest standard deviation from the norm, 3% above the line. It's very severe in other words, and he has Osteoarthritis on top of that. He has been able to break ribs by coughing and sneezing, and fingers by tucking a sheet under the mattress. It's something they can't really help much. He was on Fosamax for years longer than he should have been and now has Prolia injections. There is not much else they can recommend. He does try to stay mobile and does have physio every fortnight, but there are still points in time where it is painful and degenerative for him. I do appreciate your prayers for us both. He tries to hide his pain as much as possible so others are not fully aware of what I just told you, but he cannot deny the impact of this horrible thing...
So sorry, must go get ready for church. I am glad to see you able to post, dear Judith, and am glad the gift card holders will be useful, dear Linda. Marilyn, always appreciative of your contributions.
Am praying for all of you. 🙏🙏🙏1 -
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Sunday Blessings All, This is Advent Week 4, we light the Advent Candle of Love today! This morning I woke to a blanket of snow that has covered my trees shrubbery and yard. It’s still snowing, so pretty to see, but mindful it will be icy out there for driving and walking, be safe all! Have a Blessed Day, enjoy your Sunday Services and time together with your family and friends! 🤗
Marilyn, your post made me chuckle, too cute but funny for sure! 😃
Susan, so sorry to hear about all the pain Colin is in, yes osteoporosis is such a painful condition to have, my heart goes out to him, my prayers are with Colin and with you my friend. ❤️🙏
Linda, hope you enjoy your time singing Christmas Carols to all the neighbours and people you come in contact with, I am sure they will be blessed as you bring blessings into many homes. Hot Chocolate and Hot Tea and yummy cookies are my favourites, can’t eat the cookies but make up with Hot Chocolate with piles of Whipped Cream, I especially enjoy London Fog Tea Lattes, it’s a great way to end your night of
outdoor ministry Linda! Like having a warm cup of love and hugs! ❤️🤗1 -
It was cold outside when we went caroling last night but there was no wind so it did not feel too bad. When we got back to the house, my friend (who was not able to go) had blankets warmed up in her dryer to help us warm up. They also made sugarfree snacks for us who could not eat cookies.
Today they had the children's ministry Christmas program at church. The kids were all so cute and knew their songs and parts well. One of the readers was sick so my grandson (10 yrs old) had to do his reading plus the other boy's. He did such a great job with a very small notice. It was nice watching online because we could get really close pictures the camera at church was taking. It was probably a better view than those who were at church. I also appreciated that all the songs they sang were from the songbook. Some programs have the kids singing songs that are not about the Christ child (such as songs about Santa, Frosty the snowman, etc). I don't have a problem with it in a school program but I like to focus on what is important at church.
I finally got my geranium cutting to sprout a few roots so I was able to plant it today. It has been in water since September and even had a little bloom on it. I had a clay pot to use for it but it did not have a hole in the bottom so my husband tried to drill a hole in it. Unfortunately, it broke just as the drill bit went through the bottom so I had to plant it in a plastic cup I could put holes in the bottom. I'm sure it does not care what kind of pot it is in as long as I water it. I plan on putting it in a bigger pot on the patio this Summer where it can get all the sunshine and rain it wants.2 -
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Hello my friends. It is morning here and I am slowly waking up.
Marilyn, you are right. The only constant is change. If you are finding it tough right now I hope you are feeling encouraged by that thought. I also laughed at your previous joke!
Linda, how lovely to have all that music in your life right now and you get to see the grandchildren singing too. We sang and I played flute when we chose a lot of carols in both church services yesterday. I agree with you about the secular songs not really having a place in church. So glad you little geranium has some soil now and it will be great when summer comes to plant it out.
Judith, thank you for praying for Colin and I. He is up in about today but the pain is still there. We do have an old friend coming for lunch which will cheer us both out. I had not heard of a London fog drink before so we'll have to look it up. Praying for you my friend.
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Good Morning
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˚ ˛ •˛• ｜ 田田｜門｜ From My Home to Yours 🏠
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From this winter snowy day
And wish you a Great Day and Week ahead
We had a snow storm over the weekend which gave us mega snow making the roads extremely icy and treacherous for driving. We have minus 8 to 10 degree temps, so very cold! ❄️🧊🥶
Linda, such a thoughtful friend providing warm blankets to help warm you up after your night of singing Christmas Carols in the neighbourhood. It was so thoughtful of your friend to make snacks you can eat without all the added sugar. I love geraniums, it will be lovely to have it out on your patio in the summer months.
Susan, you are so welcome for the prayers, will continue to keep Colin in much prayer as well as you my friend! You mentioned you hadn’t heard of a London Fog Tea latte before. It is made with Earl Grey Tea, their sweetener and milk with foam on top. So yummy, it is one of my favorites! Hope you enjoy visiting with your friend over lunch!
Marilyn, again thank you for all your inspirational quotes you are sharing, always uplifting and gives us much food for thought!1 -
We are getting ready for the Artic cold that you are experiencing Judith. Our daughter is supposed to travel over the mountain on Thursday so I hope the weather is OK for her. She does not like to drive in the snow so she may need to re-think her plans.
We have been asked to co-lead a group in the church of people who are over 50 years old. It has been a while since we have done this especially when we travel so much. Having a co-leader couple to help us will be nice. There are fewer men that will be in the group (3) than women (7) due to some widows and a single woman. It should be fun to be with our peer group although we will still be involved in the other age groups also but not to as great extent. The church leadership is also forming a group for those married folk who do not have children, a youth and family group for those with children, and a group for those young adults who are not married yet. That about covers all the age groups.1 -
Hello my friends. It has been cooler here but not as cold as it is where you live. We do occasionally get and Antarctic breezes but they are not freezing ones at this time of the year. Last night was a case in point. We had an outdoor caroling activity in the village. It was very cool in the evening so most of us brought light sweaters etc. It was a very nice evening though and we sang a lot of hymns. I think we might be dressed a LOT lighter than you folk in the northern hemisphere right now! This was the choir assembling:
Stay warm, all of you.
Judith, thank you for your prayers for Colin. He seems to be in less pain today but is still having to be careful. I am glad he is getting some pain relief. I hope you are too. 🙏💕
Marilyn, I hope if you need encouragement right now, you are receiving it from those around you. 🙏💕
Linda, congratulations on the group leadership role. I do hope your daughter stays safe if she chooses to drive in the snow.0 -
Good Morning All
Yes to answer your comment Linda: We are under a Severe Snow Weather Alert: We have been hit with mega Snow, YVR Main Airport in Vancouver is closed: where I am 45 minutes ago at 7:00am we had 25CM of snow and it’s still snowing! My yard is covered, can’t even see over fence line, trees are laden with snow. Temps are freezing: right now it is minus 10 degrees.
How exciting Linda, for you both to be co-leading a group with providing leadership for those aged 50 and over. You will be a great blessing to those in your group. My prayers will be with you. I like it that your Church is forming leadership to cover and watch over all these groups, the people will be well cared for.
Blessings to all, for those who are living in this arctic outflow please be careful and safe. ❤️🙏0 -
I started a batch of yogurt in the instapot last night before I went to bed. I am not sure how t will turn out because I messed up the recipe. It is usually my daughter who makes it and I love it because it is not as tangy as what is sold in the stores. I knew I was to get ultrapasturized but I bought the wrong milk in the first place. I bought lactose free by mistake then I measured improperly. I thought I needed a whole bottle but I was making half a recipe so I had way too much milk and 1/2 and 1/2. I took some out and put extra seed yogurt in it hoping that would help. When I took it out of the instapot to put into the refrigerator for 8 hours, it looked nicely solid so I hope it tastes good. Even if it does not taste like yogurt I will still use it and pretend it is cottage cheese or sour cream depending on what the end result will be. I would think after all the years of cooking, I would have read the recipe right in the first place! 😊
The weather report on my phone says that it is sunny today but they must be looking out a different window than I am. It is very overcast but light colored clouds so no moisture in them. The weatherman yesterday said that those of us in the foothills will not get much snow tomorrow but there will be a lot in the mountains. We will get the cold temperatures but no snow. In Denver, they are supposed to get to a high of -1F on Thursday when my daughter is planning on traveling over here.
I am so glad that Colin is feeling less pain today. I hope it stays that way so he can enjoy all the festivities of the season.1 -
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Today it was a beautiful sunny day although it was chilly. We told our daughter to not try to come over the mountain tomorrow. The temperature is below zero F with strong wind gusts that make the wind chill very low. I heard one weather person say it could be -50F in some areas. We will really miss having them here but we will see if we can find someone who has no place to go and get with them. I have in mind a young homeless man who has been coming to church but am not sure how to contact him. He is an artist who will be taking classes at the university here starting in the Winter semester.
Today is the first day of Winter. It sounds like "Mother Nature" is giving a lot of people a strong reminder of what winter will be. Please take it easy outside those of you who are feeling the cold. I am glad, Marilyn that you were able to move your kidney appointment to next week. (I saw that on another team.)1 -
Linda and Judith, it sure seems like temperatures are very cold where you all are. Meanwhile we have had a very mild start to our summer, with temps pretty pleasant so far, except for a few days of scorching heat. Do stay warm wherever you all are.
Marilyn, I am appreciating your posts.
Today Colin had a shoulder ultrasound. We hopefully get his results with our Dr on Teleconference tomorrow afternoon.
Tonight we are singing carols again. It's almost Christmas.1 -
Good Morning this cold winter day! Here in BC Canada we have had an arctic flow with mega snow storms! We are snowed in with bittery cold weather, the wind chill makes it colder🥶 our temps today are minus 12 degrees now just after 8:00am Thursday morning, more snow is in forecast! Please be safe and stay warm this first day of winter! ❄️
Linda, you are having much the same weather as I am having here, please stay safe and warm. Praying your daughter has a safe trip over the mountains. How did your yogurt turn out. I am sure it was yummy even if you got the ingredients mixed up, you said it looked good when you took it out of instapot so hopefully you are now
enjoying it!
Susan, praying the ultrasound for Colin’s shoulder brings a good report! Continue to pray that pain will be less and Colin will be stronger and feeling better and enjoy all the activities over Christmas. Enjoy your Carol sing tonight!
Marilyn, read on Linda’s post you were able to move your kidney appointment to next week. Praying you have a good appointment and you get some answers in how to care for your kidney issues, praying for less pain and of course for your healing. Thank you again for sharing all these encouraging quotes!
God’s blessings all, have a day of God’s Peace Love and Grace! 🙏❤️🤗0 -
I am glad my family is safe at home in the Denver area but the temperature is -17F with a wind chill of around -50F. Most of the businesses and schools are shut down and everyone has been told to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. There is a varying amount of snow with much more in the mountains. We have no snow and a warm 35F at our house on the Western slope. the Rocky Mountains divide the state and the cold air and snow are funneled down from Canada into the Eastern side. They get a lot more snow in the winter and rain in the summer. On our side (the Western slope) we have much warmer and dryer weather. I like the lack of much snow in the winter but the dryness of the Summer is hard on the yards and gardens. I pray that everyone who is experiencing the cold and snow will be safe both in Canada and the States.
Susan - I am glad that Colin had the ultrasound of his shoulder and hopefully you will find out if there is a treatment to make his pain less. Constant pain, whether it is severe or mild can wear down a person's energy level as well as it is a big emotional burden for them as well as their loved ones. I am praying for both of you during this time.0 -
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