WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2014

GodMomKim

Renny – Love your rambling post, I think I love everyones rambles best as I feel like I get to peek in a window onto your life…. As for the smart phone, I need to upgrade too I have a flip phone with 3 ringtones that I changed once and can’t be bothered finding again….

Michele – With the amount of time you are in your pool, a suit lasting more than a season is great!!:laugh: I grew up with a pool and we HAD to have new suits each year as the lycra just dissolves…

Kitty – tink is my favorite Disney character welcome!! Later: could you walk in a mall? Not with the dog, but you maybe you could….

Anne – just thinking about 105 makes me want to die!:glasses: I dream of retirement and moving to the north coast where it is never (or almost never) over 80…. Thinking of Trinidad, CA (not the island)

Lesley – It sounds like a bore is like a well….. It it such a trip to hear of the different names and styles of very similar things from one country to the next.

Cynthia – are you going from single pane to double pane windows? You’ll love them!

Sylvia – hope you are feeling better!:ohwell:

LizP – so sorry to hear things are not going better for you…. Hang in ! sending you and yours good thoughts:flowerforyou:

Tere - I am with you, if it works who needs fancier? I am only going to a smart phone as I need more texts than my current plan has and it is cheaper to up grade to the smart phone than to do the bigger text plan.

Heather – glad your friend is coming!

Katla - thought I would share my plum BBQ sauce too....

Plum BBQ Sauce
4 cups plums, washed, pitted, chopped
¾ cup granulated sugar or “sugar in the raw”
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons prepared mustard
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger grated
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
½ jalapeno, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a heavy stockpot over medium-low heat. As plums warm and release their juices, stir well. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. With an immersion blender puree to desired consistency. Makes 4 cups. Can using hot pack, and a water bath, 20 minutes for pints.


I am doing a happy dance; my business is machine embroidery and I do a ton of stuff for the schools, from Letter Jackets to embroidery on items used as fund raisers; one of the biggest is for a local high school band; they sell about 3000 items on August 18 and 19 at school registration. The school colors are dark purple and gold; so each summer I work with a volunteer and they place an order, I get all the items in and embroider them... the goal is the order placed by the 2nd week of July and then 1 week for stuff to ship in and I have 3 weeks to get it all embroidered... the gal was slow this year and I had just over 2 weeks to get it all done, and I just finished (pickup is in 3 hours!) YEAH!!! and I am tired of purple! This year we did fleece jackets, sweat shirts, blankets, stadium seats, insulated totes, gloves and scarves.... I am spending the afternoon in my yard --- a few hours of no work!!!:drinker: :glasses: :flowerforyou:

August goals :
Stretch 5 minutes a day xxxx
Walk 45 minutes a day 15 times
Do Heather’s abc balance 1 time a week 3 weeks done

Kim from N. California

MimiPersists

It’s a beautiful day here in the foothills. Gonna be hot though so I’m glad I’m headed down to the Bay Area. It’s usually 10 degrees cooler there. I stay with my folks, who have a pool, so I can get even cooler if I need to. (They have AC too. Here, the AC is not powerful enough to reach my abode (I tried quarters, rooms, suite, apartment – nothing works, lol. It’s my own little house adjoined to the “big” house).

DD has had a rotten cold. It’s the third bug she’s had, one right on top of the other. She is crabby with a capital C. I hope that, when I get back, she’s more cheerful. (Make that with a capital C too.) :laugh:

Renny, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was feeling chatty last night. BTW, the place you live and the activities you do sound idyllic. I get a good feeling every time I read about them.

Cynthia, I recently did the 23andMe genetic testing. Mostly for fun. (I know, “fun” for me is not what it is for everyone. ) They give you lots of good ancestry info. There are also a couple of other good sites for genetic info related to ancesty. BTW, it’s a spit test – no blood involved.

According to my genes, I am 99.6% European, most of that British and Irish (67.2%). I have a skosh of French, German and Scandinavian (around 12% all told) and an even small amount of Southern European. The most interesting and thought-provoking thing is that I likely have .2% West African, .1% Yakut (East Asian) and .1% Native American. A one-woman melting pot. (Well, almost. Let me dream.)

Not too many years ago, a 5,000 year-old (or so) Neanderthal man was found lodged in an ice bank. His body was so well preserved that scientists were able to extract DNA. (Amazing.) I’m 3% Neanderthal! (Almost everyone has a little Neanderthal in them. The average on 23andMe is 2.7%. The percentages range all the way down to .1% for Nigerians.)

You can also find out the health implications of your genes and gene mutations but you have to take your raw data to other sites to do so. The FDA shut down that part of 23andMe. I think, mostly, because the medical folks don’t like DIY. They’d rather be involved. There are good arguments for and against.

Heather, I ordered “Well I Never” from Amazon. I can’t wait to get it. I love the cover. It reminds me of my sister’s artwork. In addition to illustrating much of our famous (or infamous as the case may be) cookbook, she illustrated several educational but creative children’s books. (E.g. “Math in the Garden” and “Flash! Bang! Pop! Fizz!: Exciting Science for Curious Minds.) I think her drawings are amazing. I’m proud of her. (Can you tell?)

Thinking about this reminds me of a book I edited (basically rewrote) and she illustrated. The title is "That Was The Best Party Ever!" By Sharron Werlin-Krull. It has some good philosophy and great ideas, including non-competitve games, for birthday parties for kids. You can still get it used on Amazon. I have a few copies at home that I give out to the new moms that keep popping up (and out). It was fun browsing through it.

I got a laugh out of the “About the Editor” blurb near the front of the book. Reading it brought back memories. :bigsmile: The first paragraph says, “Mary (my real name) is a recent escapee from the corporate world where she wrote business cases, strategic plans, RFPs and mission statements. “I was living the life of a Dilbert Comic Strip character,” she says. When the company offered a golden handshake (well, maybe more of a tin handshake) she decided take them up on it and see how real people live.”

It goes on for another paragraph but just the first one is enough to a) give me a chuckle and b) remind me of what life was like 8 years ago. In 40 years, you can imagine that I wrote a lot of other “stuff” too. Most of it supremely boring. I do not recommend spending most of your life at a computer. (So, what am I doing here, you ask? :laugh: Old habits die hard.)

BTW, if you happen to ever see the book, that is the most awful picture of me ever. Really. Ever. I look mean.

Heather, you mentioned other people’s noise. I’m with you on loud noise. Being my somewhat introverted self, I do like people-watching though. So a little noise is okay. I like nothing better than to sit over a cup of coffee in a cafe, looking up from my book once in a while to see what other people are doing (and saying - sometimes they're not very discreet!) One of the funniest sights is to see a few people, sitting at the same table, not conversing with each other but with other people – via their smart phones.

Alison, don’t forget to try using arch supports literally all the time – from the time you step out of the bed. (I’m not sure about the shower!) That cured my plantar fasciitis. I’ve also found that I have much less pain (MUCH less) in all of my joints now that I’ve stopped eating food with added sugar. I also very seldom eat refined carbs, not even whole-grain flour. Is the connection coincidence? Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not.

Barbie, you are so far ahead of me with your smartphone. I’ve got to get to those classes to catch up. Of course, that won’t help with the TV remote. I do have a TV hanging on the wall now (after 15 or so years without) but I’ve never used it. I do want to watch some of the PBS shows and I love HGTV. It lets me dream. Soon!!!

Welcome Liz. I’m glad to see your post. Maybe you could talk to your DD separately. After all, YOU are not your DH. You are two separate people. I’m inclined to think he should do his own cleaning up if it’s needed. (I'm sure that's easier for me to say, being single, than it would be for you to do.)

Don’t worry about not having anything interesting to say when you post. I blab away. If someone wants to read it, they can. If not, they’re more than welcome to press the down arrow. :laugh:

I know what you mean about the Golden 60’s. I could work a little more and have a little more money. It’s a hard tradeoff though. I love having time during the day to do what I want to do.

Tere, if you’ve been working out, I’ll bet your weight gain was a matter of gaining muscle – and maybe some water. Somebody else mentioned relying on measurements. That’s a great way to go as you can weigh more but be smaller when you replace fat with muscle. It’s still hard though.:noway:

Katia, I like those Food Rules too. I’ll end with more.

So many of you have mentioned the Marigold Hotel book and movie. I put the book on my Amazon Wish List. It sounds like a good read. I put Sum It Up there too. Thanks for the reviews.

Kim, Ohmigosh, your recipe for plum BBQ sauce sounds wonderful. I’m saving it. I’ve already sent it to the three gourmet-ist cooks in the family. Yay on the business success. It’s always a frantic time when you’re up against a deadline.:flowerforyou:

Mimi (aka Mary)


Here are the next 3 Food Rules from Michael Pollan. Passing them along is helping to refresh my memory.

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN HIGH-FRUCOSE CORN SYRUP.

AVOID FOODS THAT HAVE SOME FORM OF SUGAR (OR SWEETENER) LISTED AMONG THE TOP THREE INGREDIENTS.

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN MORE THAN FIVE INGREDIENTS.

jaks97

bump

kittytoo

Kim - mall walking is good, but the nearest indoor mall is 10 miles away, so I don't go there lightly. Did you know that the first-ever indoor mall was built in Phoenix? It's the Chris-Town Spectrum mall and it was THE place to go when we were teens.

Your plum BBQ sauce sounds yummy. I just made my first tomato jam a few weeks ago, because I had an overflow of tiny tomatoes from my garden. (A by-product of the heat. Usually they don't even bloom if the temp is over 100. The plants are all dead now - they fried about the same time I made the tomato jam. Back to the subject....) I will have to make more. I had two pints and the men of my household just demolished it. I'll put the recipe below, in case anyone wants it.

Lastly, I just had T-shirts printed for my DH's business. The printer was working on a job of 5,000 purple shirts for my Alma Mater, Grand Canyon University. He was surrounded by a sea of purple and said he was even dreaming about it. :laugh:

Tomato Jam By April McGreger

Makes 1-1/2 to 2 pints

A little sweet, a little savory, this glossy condiment has serious versatility. The perfect topping for crostini, spread on grilled cheese, on a burger (I love it with lamb burgers), with crab cakes, or as a condiment on a cheese or meat platter. The cooking time varies, depending on the tomato. Plum or paste tomatoes have less juice and cook more quickly than slicing tomatoes. You can also use skin-on, halved cherry tomatoes in this recipe for a more rustic version.

•7 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
•2 cups sugar
•1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice
•zest of 1 lemon or lime
•2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/2 teaspoon celery salt
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne
•1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt or pickling salt

Combine all ingredients in a large, wide, non-reactive saucepan or preserving kettle. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until the jam is thick and glossy, about one to two hours. Toward the end of the cooking time, pay attention because the mixture can scorch easily.

Ladle hot jam into clean jars and leave 1/4" inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Close the jars with hot, two-piece canning lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Detailed instructions on canning can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 1 year.


Variation: For Tomato-Basil (or -Marjoram or -Sage or -Oregano) Jam – Omit the cumin, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer tomato mixture with a large stalk or bunch of basil, marjoram, sage or oregano. When the jam is thick, squeeze the herbs to extract the flavor and remove them before canning.

grandmallie

God Bless Rita, she tried, she really did, it has something to do with the modem, so for right now I am hardwired in... have to get a new modem,but the hubby is *****ing because then he has to connect to the router and it will mess his up.. so right now I dont know what we are going to do...I guess no wi fi for me:grumble:
oh well.. I am off.. have to do stuff around the house and then get up early for work tomorrow, going down to see DFIL and take him dinner

strassenkoenigin

Kitty in Phoenix

I am so grateful for your post. I could never understand why I was not able to grow tomatoes. Now I see that I planted them too late in the year when it was already too hot. I grew melons by accident though and a papaya tree. The papaya tree was a mystery for a long time. I took pictures of it and showed it to all the experts at the nursery and nobody knew what it was. One day I hired a plumber who was from India and he got all excited when he saw the tree and told me that it was a papaya. I eat a lot of papayas and I compost, so obviously the melons and the papaya were a product from my composting. Unfortunately I succeed in killing the papaya tree because I transplanted it too often in search of the perfect location.

Yeah, Phoenix is too hot in summer to do anything outdoors.. People in other parts of the country never realize that we are practically prisoners of our houses in summer and that our AC bills are higher than their heating bills.


Anne, slowly melting at 105 Fahrenheit

kittytoo

Anne - Are you also in Phoenix - or a like environment? I am getting ready to plant a new batch of tomatoes. Late August is garden-starting time for me. (Or January, depending on the desired results.) I compost, like you do, and have never bothered to seperate out the seeds. Almost my whole garden was planted for me this year when DH rototilled in the compost. I have a few mystery gourds left (they are blooming now) and WAY more eggplant than I can eat or give away. To make matters worse, I have discovered that eggplants are essentially perennial in my climate. I am now using them as accent plants in my yard, lol.

I have an apple tree that is like your papaya. Last fall, my husband bit into a Washington apple and one of the seeds was sprouting! I kept it wrapped in a wet paper towel in a baggie for a week, then planted it when we got home. It was growing great guns until July, when it was just too hot and dry - killed the leader and crisped the leaves. It's still green on the stem and is trying to put out a new leaf... I am just worried the leader will die all the way back, as my avocados tend to do. Time will tell. It sure has had the will to live so far....

Patchworkperson

Hello gorgeous girls. I'm just popping in before bed.

DH continues to make progress after his heart attack but not fast enough for his liking & his cardiac nurse told him off for doing too much too soon. "We give you these instructions for a reason Mr Mundy". He has a scare on Friday night with chest pains but a puff of his GTN spray worked but it has made him think.

My weight loss has stalled as I've not paid enough attention to weighing & logging. That will change now & also I decided to give up added sugar. I have a max of 2 cups of tea a day (I'm a coffee fiend) which I thought I couldn't drink it without a teaspoon of sugar. So cold turkey quit & it's not as bad as I expected. Still prefer coffee.

Will catch up reading everyone's news tomorrow so night night all.

Geri in England

CynthiaT60

Crabapple jelly...anyone remember that? :huh:

MimiPersists

Geri, best wishes to your DH. When I went in for a post-op check after my afib ablation last month, the PA said my EKG looked great - almost textbook normal. He also said he had never seen a normal looking one post-op for a man because THEY ALWAYS DID TOO MUCH TOO SOON. Lol. Sounds like your DH is right in there with the rest of them. It also sounds like he has a good nurse.

Good for you for getting started again. I've become a believer in no added sugar. I'm not perfect - had dessert at the wedding a couple of weeks ago (lemon tarts, not wedding cake, which I could have resisted - easily!) You sound as though you'll do really well.

Mimi

strassenkoenigin

Kitty

when you click on the screen name, you can usually see where people are from. I am in Southern Nevada.

I am surprised you can grow Avocado, I thought Avocados need a different climate. I have a fig tree, which is doing okay, though in the last years the fruits are not so big anymore.:Pomegranates do very well here and I have an apricot tree, which turned into a peach tree over the years?? My apple tree did very well for about twenty years and then died rapidly and I was told that apple trees do not have a long life in this climate. I was really devastated. My yard is not very big and unfortunately I planted too many shade trees at the beginning and now I do not have enough room to grow things which need sun. I am planning to plant an almond tree and I am desperately trying to find a space for a date palm. There are hundreds of date palms in my neighborhood alongside the streets, but since a few years the city decided to cut off the dates when they are green. I used to pick up pounds and pounds of fallen dates from these palm trees. Nobody else did. And now zero. As I like dates so much I guess I have to get my own.

Anne, in the very hot and dry Mojave desert

margaretturk

Cynthia when I was growing up we had a crab apple tree in our yard and they planted crab apples all along a boulevard close to my childhood home. It was spectacular in the spring. My mom did make crab apple jelly once. Thanks for bringing back a good memory.

Still up after logging for a week. It is up because of eating out and stress. We ate out last night and I was up twp pounds again from eating out. I know it is water retention. I just find it discouraging and makes me not want to eat out. Last night the neighbors decided to sit outside with their friends and have a great time at 3:30 in the morning. I did go over to complain. I can see on a weekend 12:00-1:00. Unfortunately they woke me up from a sound sleep. I went over and as nicely as I could say I know you are having fun, but it is 3:30 in the morning. Hopefully it will not happen again.

Today I will cut back on what I eat to get back to maintenance weight.

2014 word: contentment

strassenkoenigin

Mimi


One of my grandfathers spend many years to research his side of the family. So we have a complete record going back six hundred years from my father's side.

From my mother's side I only know about my great-grandparents. Nothing further back. Unfortunately I was not so interested when I was younger and now everybody who knew, is dead.

But the research of my paternal grandfather had me thinking. What about the family of my paternal grandmother? My maternal family? There are so many people over the hundred and thousand of years who contributed into me. How can I ever know? If I look at the history of Europe, all the wars, the crusades, the conquered territory. I am sure there were a few rapes and foreigners somewhere involved.

Growing up in Europe, nobody I knew ever worried about having blood of another race in his or her veins. But how could we not. After all it looks like we all came from Africa at some point.

It is a fascinating subject and I deeply regret now that I did not listen more attentively to the stories my elder told me when I was young.
Anne, playing with the computer because it is too hot outside

drkatiebug

Heather,

My smart phone was always running out of memory, too. I took it in to Verizon and a very nice man listened to all my complaints and then did something to it to fix it. I haven't run out of memory since. He downloaded an app that automatically put other downloads into internal memory or something, then disabled automatic updates of google play, google store, etc since I wasn't using it anyway.

Even so, I am going to upgrade in October when I am eligible. I've always had Android, but I think I'm going to switch to an iPhone. I love my ipad and I think an iPhone will make it easier for me to share a calendar, etc.

I'm still subject to change my mind, though. I hate decisions!

strassenkoenigin

Margaret,

try to eat mainly big salads for a day or two. I did this and lost the water weight. I throw in everything but the kitchen sink, spring salad, avocados, olives, cucumbers, parsley, peppers, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, celery, artichokes, blueberries,....


I am blessed with Cuban neighbors since a few years. They invite friends once a week and get real drunk and loud after midnight. They were all out on the patio which is right beside my bedroom. At about three o'clock in the morning they start singing. First they invited me, but they speak only Spanish and they all smoke. It was not a fun experience for me. I complained several times especially when I was still working and needed to get up in the morning. They ignored me, they insisted on their right to have fun.. Luckily another neighbor called the police. Now it is a little bit better. But even if they are not out on the patio it is still so loud that I can hear it in my bedroom. In a way it is sad, because I want them to have fun, but not at three in the morning......

Anne, watching TV and reading your posts

janemartin02

Welcome Kitty,I`m from IL.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
Spent the day making cards for some sick kids It`s amazing to see what these kids endure on a daily basis.
Getting ready to go to Violet`s til wed.Taking her to school and picking up,have plenty time to myself.
HUGS
jane

yanniejannie

Good early evening, all,

DD and I are back (as of last night) from our 2 weeks of wandering. Both have bad colds (didn't I JUST do this cold thing???) ; she's worse than I am.....tried not to get it, but living in a tent at that point, it was hard to avoid. Have not been on a scale yet; want to get back to normal both health and food-wise first. Confess to a jelly doughnut for breakfast one day........I was sick, it looked good. We stayed, for the most part, off the interstates and on two lane ones---west of I-81 on the way up and back through rural southeast Pa. and the Delmarva.

Started at the college with the dean of adm. (finally!!!) where DD was told her application was perfect, there was nothing more she could have done, either grade wise, paperwork wise or interview wise; the competition for the vet school was just especially stiff this year and any other year she would have been accepted............and to try again.......... So, as plans stand now, for the moment, she'll work here a year, save money, and do it again, I guess. As long as it's not a dangerous job, I don't care what she does to pass the year. They are begging her to lifeguard again esp. now that all the summer help will be leaving to go back to school. I think she'll do it but I'd much rather see her do something inline with her degree. But I keep quiet and am thankful it's just not off the chart dangerous like the last one. Remember how stressed I was??? Under the heading "pick your battles".

After departing the college, we went to Roanoke, Va. and visited Mill Mountain Zoo and Wildflower Garden which is a very nice little zoo with a red panda; our overwhelming favorite there. We were to camp that night but thunderstorms prevented that and we ended up in a hotel in Martinsburg, W.Va. Then north on twisty mountain roads to the Harrisburg, Pa. area and Lake Tobias Wildlife Park where we took a safari type ride after walking the zoo and got up close to many wild animals.........rhinos, etc. Hiked a bit on the Appalachain Trail. On to Gratz, had a lovely meal there at Kissingers, then on to my cousins home. My cousin and his husband arrived Thursday about 8:30 and ate the meal I had made.........visited with them and other friends until Sunday when we went to Knoebels and set up our camp. This is the point where DD got her cold, so three rainy days later we went back to cousins home and nursed our colds while trying to carry out at least some of our plans. Visited my mom and dads grave site. On the way back we did visit Bethlehem and the oldest continuously operating book store in the US..............saw lots of Amish horse carriages on the roadways there, gorgeous area!!!...........bad, bad hotel in Pottstown...........Showed DD Oxford, Pa. where her fathers dad was born............and south through the Delmarva to home.

Going before computer deletes all I've written; be back later with comments, etc.

Best to all..........have a lot more reading to do here!!!
yanniejannie

kittytoo

Jane - Thank you for the welcome!

Anne - Thanks for the tip on how to access profiles and learn a bit more about people. (I'm still learning, but this is WAY more fun than Facebook....) My sister just got married and she and her hubby bought a place in Palm Gardens, a community of about 30 houses in the middle of No Where - but I bet you know where that is!

My hubby and I are thinking to replace the grapefruit tree that was dead when we bought this house 3 years ago with a Medjool date from Dateland, CA. They have to have 3 feet of wood to bear fruit (12-15' tall with fronds) and a male tree nearby. If the city doesn't mess with your boys, you'll be okay, or you will have to pollinate them with an old-style perfume atomizer. (At least, that's what they told me.)

My avocado grows in the shade of another tree. I didn't expect it to grow. Just stuck a couple of seeds in the ground for what-the-heck, and up it came. You could probably nurse one along under a shade tree.

jmkmomm

Meg, you asked me why I needed my Ipad on my bike. I am playing this game on face book and am doing a once in a lifetime attempt to get first place. At the time I thought I wouuld have to be on the Ipad all the time to get it done. But as fast as the Ipad vs my aged laptop, the game times you out of it at a certain amount of points. So I now know that I can use that time to get life in. Plus now I am very far ahead of 2nd place and now taking it a little easier. I do enjoy reading while riding the bike. It really makes the miles come a little easier. I was reading yesterday and low and behold I had ridden 5 miles. I had no idea I had ridden that long.

My first cell phone was a flip phone, a Tracfone which a stayed with for several years. I use the cell phone very, very sparingly. I don't give it out to anyone besides my family members and they know that at times I can't even figure out how to answer it. Well, that's not the whole truth. i don't have the flip phone anymore, a regular smart phone with data, games and a lot of things I have no idea how to use it. My phone also has a lot of data usage and my daughter has to figure out where it is all going to and delete it. But about the flip phone. After my husbands heart attack he took it. He never leaves the house now without it. He likes the fact that since it is a tracfone I don't pay much a month. I pay $100 for about 1000 minutes per year. So it is never all used up. And the only kind of phone he can figure out how to answer is a flip phone, it rings, you open it up to answer!

Yannie, your trip with your daughter sounds very interesting. That's the kind of vacation to have with family, being with family and visiting more family and connecting!.

I always go to bed earlier on Saturday nights in order that I can get up early on Sunday mornings. I'm not like a lot of you that gets up at 5 AM!!!! I get up around noon!!!! So 8:30 is quite an effort. But I don't know what happened last night. Either my alarm didn't ring or it rang and I turned it off and went back to sleep. But I woke up at 10:30, the time I am supposed to be at church. I needed a shower, eat and do other things. So I got up, played my game for a little bit and realized I was exhauasted and needed to go back to bed. So I finished the Hallmark movie from my DVR and went to bed. i didn't even eat. But I was freezing. I got up, put on my jogging pants, long socks so I could tuck in the pants leg in the socks, then heavy furry house shoes, long sleeve shirt, 3 blankets. I was till freezing. I eventually got my hands and arms warmed but never the feet and legs. I got up at 3, took my morning meds and knew I needed to have something to eat. I normally don't fix oatmeal but I got the cook on the stove kind out, fixed a one serving, put some brown sugar in it. But eating my apple makes me cold just holding it so I looked at my pinterest and got my recipe for cooking an apple in the microwave. So I cut it up, the apple, put some cornstarch and brown sugar in it and shook it up in a freezer bag and microwave. They were delish!!! I alos got some hot tea and finally got warmed up.

Joyce, Indiana

exermom

Did an hour of balance games on the Wii today. Actually, this is my "active rest" day. Tomorrow I'll do some yoga, hold my plank, and take the extremepump class.

Was not happy with the coleslaw that I made yesterday so I made some more this morning. I had biscuits that I made in the freezer, so we'll have them.

Diane - I used to get most of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. But Vince ALWAYS waits until the last minute then I'm scrambling around to get things wrapped, etc. We had a cat that was diabetic and one of Jess's is. Unfortunately, hers does not like getting his insulin. There is no way on this green earth I could make a cat bleed on purpose to check the glucose. I didn't think I would be able to give our cat his insulin, but I got over that.

Went out and vacuumed the spa, then I did the pool since there was so little that needed to be done. In a few I'll probably go out into the pool

Carol in NC - congrats on getting that move in done.

Kitty - welcome. This is a wonderful group of ladies.

Sylvia - you're talking to the queen of overprotectiveness here. I remember once Bryan was doing some sort of fundraising for his roller hockey team. Do you know that I drove by where he was (even tho there were a lot of people around) to check to see he was OK?

Liz - how much longer will you need to be on the soft/liquid diet?

katla - I agree that our ages help us in making this such a wonderful place to be. We don't always think that we are totally right and are willing to take advice.

kittytoo - do a lot of people join a health club out there? At least they're exercising in semi-decent air temps

Meg - i HATE when I get a blister from my shoes when my socks fall down. That happened one time when we were working outside this summer. Since then, I've been very careful about being sure that my socks were pulled up. Finally, I just threw out that pair of socks! Vince laughs at me because if someone leaves a message for me on my phone, it could be weeks before I even see it. I remember once a friend left a message "we're having a dinner/dance this Saturday" and my thought was "which Saturday?". Yes, I know that there is a TSA priority clearance. A friend of ours has it, he does a lot of traveling. Don't know any of the details about it, tho

Kim - woohoo getting all that work done. I hate to be under any pressure to get something finished by a certain date. I like to have it done beforehand.

kittytoo - I didn't know that the first indoor mall was built in Phoenix. That's really interesting.

mimi - I'm trying (operative word) to have no sugar added. Not always working out. But, and I'm sure you find this too, it's interesting...the less sugar you have the more you taste it when you do have it. The other night at Rummikub this lady made a ginger rhubarb crisp. She felt it wasn't sweet enough. To me, it had just the right amount of sweetness, if anything, it could have done with a little less.

Anne - when you have a tree that dies and you cut it down, what do you do to get rid of the stump (short of calling in someone to grind it down)?

Vince and Ken were out grilling dinner and Vince comes in saying "Call me a softie, but there is a cat who looks really hungry. Do we have something that we can give him?" Well, after dinner, I was the softie "gee, we only gave him dry food, he's probably thirsty". Yup, you guessed it. I go in the house, get a dish and put water in it. We were sitting on the deck and the cat came up on the deck, at first it was skittish, but it eventually rubbed up against me. Clyde was watching so I really didn't give it any attention. Vince made up a flyer and the mailman (who lives in our neighborhood) is going to put it in everyone's mailbox. I have a feeling that we aren't going to get any response. This cat is so cute...but we have 4 as it is. That's enough. So if no one claims it, we'll probably take it to the Humane Society.

yanniejannie - so sorry for your daughter. It's so hard when they can't get into the school. Your trip sounds wonderful, except for the getting sick part.

Michele in NC