WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR NOVEMBER 2022

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  • LisaInArkansas
    LisaInArkansas Posts: 2,353 Member
    edited November 2022
    Rebecca - Well done on the weight loss, dear heart. Hope the gallbladder pain is under control and you're feeling better. That apple butter looked so good, I may have to break down and make some.

    Heather - So glad you got your time in the spotlight--you look like you are in heaven!

    Rita - (website stuff, not private, just boring if you're not into it)
    I use Bluehost, but don't necessarily think they're better or worse, they're just familiar to me, and I know they work very well with WordPress. My total for first-year registration, domain name and hosting added up to about $180, I think. I do add privacy fees to keep my home address from showing up on the public registration. I looked at Wix, Hostgator and GoDaddy, and they all get good reviews. Don't know whether they're less expensive.

    When I was poking around, I seriously considered a free blog/newsletter-type site at Substack. It would have "substack" in the domain name, which isn't that big a deal... I even got to the point of putting together a couple posts, and then decided I'd rather just have my own site again. If I ever decide to monetize (very doubtful), I can use Substack to distribute a newsletter from my own domain. They enable the writer to add subscription pricing, and they take a percentage, which is how they make their money. However, you don't HAVE to charge subscriptions if you don't want to. Might be worth checking out, according to what you want. Do you have a current site that's live?

    Quiet day, all in all, just a little laundry this morning. Corey's finishing a slow-cooked roast beef in the oven with roasted potatoes and veggies, the house smells wonderful.

  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 9,677 Member
    Afternoon ladies
    Got out of pajamas for a few hrs,took summer stuff out of my drawers ,put the winter/ fall stuff in and back in pajamas. Watched a couple lifetime Christmas movies.. no naps though.. oh and did my pills..
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,101 Member
    💕
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,433 Member
    Anniesquats100 wrote: »
    Rebecca Yay for pounds lost!

    I gained quite a bit this fall. Today I walked twenty minutes but I'm still way over calories and I haven't had any supper. Sundays are always hard for me because my parents like a big lunchtime meal and my mom pushes food on me. But I am not helpless. I will get better at refusing!

    It's a brisk beautiful fall day outside. I have been reading a library book by Tana French. Her dialogue is especially excellent.

    Annie in Delaware

    Thanks friend. I think most of it was because I was on the laxative powder for most of October. But glad I haven't had a rise in weight since I have started eating meals.👍🏻
    Rebecca
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,433 Member
    LisaInArkansas wrote: »
    Rebecca - Well done on the weight loss, dear heart. Hope the gallbladder pain is under control and you're feeling better. That apple butter looked so good, I may have to break down and make some.

    Heather - So glad you got your time in the spotlight--you look like you are in heaven!

    Rita - (website stuff, not private, just boring if you're not into it)
    I use Bluehost, but don't necessarily think they're better or worse, they're just familiar to me, and I know they work very well with WordPress. My total for first-year registration, domain name and hosting added up to about $180, I think. I do add privacy fees to keep my home address from showing up on the public registration. I looked at Wix, Hostgator and GoDaddy, and they all get good reviews. Don't know whether they're less expensive.

    When I was poking around, I seriously considered a free blog/newsletter-type site at Substack. It would have "substack" in the domain name, which isn't that big a deal... I even got to the point of putting together a couple posts, and then decided I'd rather just have my own site again. If I ever decide to monetize (very doubtful), I can use Substack to distribute a newsletter from my own domain. They enable the writer to add subscription pricing, and they take a percentage, which is how they make their money. However, you don't HAVE to charge subscriptions if you don't want to. Might be worth checking out, according to what you want. Do you have a current site that's live?

    Quiet day, all in all, just a little laundry this morning. Corey's finishing a slow-cooked roast beef in the oven with roasted potatoes and veggies, the house smells wonderful.

    Thanks friend, I am doing well. Back on eating once a day, but not a big meal. Today was a turkey pot pie. I am not intermittent fasting, because I am having Truvia sweetener in my coffee, and drink other stuff like Fresca during the day. Its so nice to not be in any discomfort! Can't wait until end of month when I have surgery though!
    Rebecca
    Wa
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,433 Member
    Oh no, get to feeling better Flea, (((((hugs))))). Kick that COVID!
    Rebecca
    Whidbey
    Wa
  • exermom
    exermom Posts: 6,331 Member
    Heather – I’m very impressed with you

    Night driving – like Ginny, I do it, but am not a fan. Much much prefer to be on roads that I am familiar with

    Rebecca – good job on the pounds lost

    Went to Rummikub. Nice turnout – probably around 16 people. The bad thing was that I was at this table with two ladies who talk, and talked, and talked. I don’t mind talking while playing, but they weren’t playing, just talking. I suspect the host wanted people to leave, so while they were talking I told them that I had to go. In 2 hours we only played 2 games. We should have been able to play more. Just had chips, salsa and pretzels to eat. What I think I should do next time is have something to eat before then. I’d probably only go on a Sunday, and we usually have soup. The shirataki noodles are very filling so I will have some of those. Well live and learn…

    Kim – I don’t know if I could make that many cookies! I’d probably get to the point of not even wanting to LOOK at a cookie (which might not be a bad thing)

    Well...off to bed. For some reason, I just feel so very tired. Not that I did a whole lot today.

    Michele NC
  • dlfk202000
    dlfk202000 Posts: 2,929 Member
    GodMomKim wrote: »
    H

    The spoiler is full of a first world whine….
    I do love traditions and sometimes they stop being fun, or enjoyable and become something that is an obligation. My mom has traditions that are fully obligations, and she is unwilling or unable (at 93) to accept that these traditions can be altered or changed in any way. The winter holidays are full of these from Halloween to New Years it is minefield of stuff that was fun and grew and grew into a nightmare.
    One of those is cookie making. Last year we made 8 types of cookies, 2 types of candy a total of 150-160 dozen pieces and they were divided up and given out to friends, neighbors, and service providers (aka the pool guy, hairdresser…) they are put on paper plates and delivered in the week or so before Christmas. When I was a kid we did a few kinds and they were given to a few people, and they were always on a beautiful 3 tier cookie tray when my folks entertained over the holidays. I am not sure when this got so out of control. When I moved out on my own, I did start cooking my own cookies – maybe 4 kinds and giving them out to friends, and having them as the desert for my entertaining. I do have to say that my family likes to entertain. I do not remember any time when there was not at least one “fancy” dinner party per month in my home, and many other times when there was an extra person or two for dinner.
    Making my own cookies and handing out a few trays to folks was a nice way to acknowledge neighbors and friends without spending a ton of money. For the last 10-15 years Mom and I have done it together and it was fun. But for the last 5-7 years mom can not do it alone, and the list has grown, as she has encouraged my brother to put his friends on the list and her grandson (who she raised) to do the same. 2 years ago, I broke my budget and was exhausted after 4 days of cooking cookies at my house for 12 hours a day. Also, I provided 3 homecooked meals a day. Mom helps with the finances but not enough. Last year I recruited help – her grandson and his girlfriend came and helped – it was better but not enough and this last year my mom has slowed down and is less able to process multiple things. So with encouragement from my counselor, I started to really get some control over this event. It turns out that my brother gives 5 trays, my nephew (mom’s grandson) 11 trays, my mom 6 trays and I do 15 trays. 36 total trays. My mom puts together all of the trays but mine, and averages 3 dozen cookies per tray. That’s 108 dozen and none left for entertaining. This needed to be brought under control!!!!
    Of all the cookies we do only one is really a family tradition cookie it is a deep fried cookie we call it a rosette, almost a sweet crepe batter, a shaped mold is heated dipped into the batter and then deep fried. Top with powdered sugar and they are yummy.
    Discussion time with mom was painful. She felt I didn’t love her, I wanted to ruin one of her last Christmas’; make her friends forget her before she was even dead…. And believe it or not she is an inflation denier. She was adamant that food prices have not gone up since last year. Well after a couple of hours, we only took 3 trays off the list, BUT we dropped the candy, dropped one of the cookies, and swapped out a very time consuming cookie for a bar cookie. And decided that there were 11 trays that could be all rosettes and no other cookies. The other thing I have done is bought the trays – and they are smaller (not a lot- as that would cause it own set of problems) but a bit smaller so it will only be 2-2.5 dozen per tray. Just that lowers the number of cookies by 18 dozen. I will still be exhausted but I will be able to keep this at 4 days of cooking and control the budget a bit. I do feel like this is a win!

    Kim- I totally understand!!
    I will be going up to mom's in a few weeks(first weekend of Dec) to make candy(fudge/caramel corn/toffee bars/etc.
    We do this each year, and like you each year, mom is not up to helping as much as she has been.
    I give some out but she gives out more and to people that she only sees a few times a year or people who work at a restaurant she used to sell veggies too quite a few years ago( at least 3 yrs ago or more.
    I buy a lot of the supplies, she does buy some. I will go up Friday morning(or maybe even Thursday night so I have more time) and won't come home until Monday at noon, in time to get Ezie from school.
    She is tired, especially on Saturday afternoon because we get up at 4AM to help at the food program. I know I only have a few days so I push through and get it done. 8 batches of caramel corn, 8 batches of cracker toffee and at least 16 batches of fudge- that is minimum. Thankfully, the recipes I have for these are quick/simple. I am exhausted by the time I come home
    There will be other things she wants to make- like divinity and penachue (sp?). She gets side tracked so easily. I try not to push too much to get her back on track or she gets irritated. Doesn't say anything when I am there but I hear it from my sister.

    Debbie
    Napa Valley

    Kim in N. California

  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    <3
  • dlfk202000
    dlfk202000 Posts: 2,929 Member
    Tracey- that looks so pretty (and really cold!!)
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 2,810 Member
    <3
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,189 Member
    edited November 2022
    Awake early again! Wish I could sleep on a bit.
    Bit choppy out there, wind whistling, but I think I've got my sea legs. Even DH doesn't seem too bothered. We'll be off to the gym in a bit. When it's rough we do the sitting down machines! :p

    Last night was the crew show, put on by all the engineers, bar staff, housekeepers, etc. Fabulous! One guy had one of the best voices I've EVER heard and sang in two registers. He is a chef.
    Afterwards we all piled into the Britannia lounge for a last show by the cast. It was ABBA. I got a hug from the dance director and he was soaking wet!!! :o
    So a great send off for our last formal. Tonight is our very last. We have to pack this evening and we are scheduled for the first pick up if docking goes OK.
    I do have a ballroom lesson, cha cha cha, this morning, plus watercolour and a watercolour exhibition of our paintings at 2 pm. Then feedback forms. Ugh.
    Tonight it's a great performance by a pianist/musical director. Amazing range. Mostly musicals.

    Now, a cup of tea and off to the gym.

    Love Heather, in the Bay of Biscay, riding the waves! Xxxxxxxx
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    <3
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,809 Member
    edited November 2022
    Heather -- well done!



    Cookies -- not a big Christmas tradition in Canada or Australia. If I have time and energy, I might make some of my grandmother's shortbread and I imagine I'll make fudge each year but I've yet to do it.

    Traditions -- when my ex-husband and I separated many, many years ago, I also let go of a whole lot of Christmas traditions. It was so freeing!! His family was big into giving gifts to everyone, and cooking, and baking, and big family gatherings, and eating ourselves into oblivion. I found it so stressful.

    Now we do what we want to do. :)


    kevrit wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    LisaInArkansas wrote: »
    Had a kind of breakthrough, where I realized I needed to tear the whole website back down to the beginning and start again. Not unusual, and each of those spasms puts me further ahead in the end. All the past writing isn't lost, just edited and shifted.

    Love y'all,
    Lisa in AR

    I've torn my website down and am very, very slowly in the process of building it back up again.

    Machka in Oz

    I had mine hosted on GoDaddy but found I couldn’t justify the cost. Where do you all host your sites?

    Grateful: ability. I am thankful that I can see more than one side to problems.

    RvRita in NM


    Website -- I use VentraIP and I think it's about $120/year. I also pay for my domain name.

    I've had my site for about 20 years using a couple different hosts, and it's gone through a few iterations in that time.

    In the past, I coded my whole site myself in HTML, but a few years ago, I decided to go with Wordpress. I still code some parts myself when I get frustrated with something in Wordpress, but I like many of the features.

    It's here (in the spoiler) and is not well developed at this point. Like Lisa, all the writing isn't lost, it's just waiting for me to have a moment to do something with it.
    http://machka.net/


    SophieRosieMom wrote: »
    Good morning ladies :)

    Machka - I love hearing about your bees. What do they feed on in your area? Around here, invasive blackberries have taken over. But, the bees love the flowers and "Blackberry Honey" is delicious. Does anyone remember that gal from New Zealand who was on here for a while who had hives placed among Manuka bushes and had a thriving market for the honey-shipped a lot to China? Have any of you ever tried Manuka honey? I guess it has a lot of healthful properties.

    Lanette B)
    SW WA State
    Machka9 wrote: »
    @SophieRosieMom ...

    We have fresh fruit and vegetables markets here too. Markets as in shops and markets as in Farmers Markets.

    Salamanca Fresh is the main one we go to.
    https://www.salamancafresh.com.au/

    I have used Manuka honey. It is produced here as well. That link above may show that Salamanca Fresh sells some.

    Bees like most flowers and apparently especially purple or blue flowers. We're in an area where a lot of people have gardens full of flowers so the bees are quite happy. They will fly in a 2km radius from a hive and some have been tracked further so ours will also get gum trees when they flower.

    M in Oz


    Manuka honey comes from a flowering plant that is in the tea tree and myrtle families, so it's flavour is a bit different from other honeys I've tried. If you're familiar with what tea tree lotions smell like, the flavour is like that but with some sweetness to it. It's a bit medicine-y. I like it, but I prefer a teaspoon of it on its own, rather than on toast.

    This is one of the places we get our honey: https://heritagehoney.com.au/product-category/honey-i1/


    Machka in Oz

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