WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2014

BTW, I was just admiring my ticker with the "3 pounds lost" statement on it. The background is a bit of my backyard with what the girls call the lupine factory in it. I didn't grow up in the country but I sure do enjoy living here. It's a feast for the eyes.

Mimi SVQ

Kim - thanks for telling me about the vinegar. Can't hurt to try, that's for sure. The other nice thing(s) about it are that it won't destroy the tile and if some gets in the pool, it's not going to hurt the fiberglass, either. Some in the water won't hurt (we put bleach in it today) I'll let you know how that works. Do you use straight vinegar? I have a vinegar/water solution that (believe it or not) I use to clean the hard wood floor. When we moved here, there were these "drops" in the exercise room. Probably from the previous people sweating. Anyway, nothing I could do would clean them up. We were about to have to redo the floor when we called this one place. They said to try a mixture of white vinegar (I forget the ratio) and water. that'd be cheaper than the $1,000 to redo the floor. Low and behold, it WORKED!

mimi - your day sounds wonderful

katla - we spent more time today cleaning the pool.
Actually, it looks pretty good. Put "Rover" (robotic cleaner) in and then when the water was high enough, ran the skimmer some. I did go in the pool today -- but not by choice. I was cleaning one of the steps and fell in! You know, it's funny, I was cleaning the spa yesterday and said to Vince "why don't we use the leaf cleaner (it's this round thing with a bag on top, you attach a hose to it and the leaves fly up into the bag). He said "no, it wouldn't fit". So I tried it and sure enough, it fits just fine. Today I was scrubbing the steps and said "why don't we use that brush we got for the porch" "oh, I don't think it'll work". So I tried it. I thought it worked just great and so did Vince after he saw what I'd done. Glad you liked the cupcake recipe, they do have good flavor

Bonnie - thanks for posting that link about the ride. I especially liked the areas that you were riding thru (you didn't stop at the stop sign!!! lol). The houses, businesses, rivers, etc right alongside the road. How quaint!

mimiarlene****son - welcome. Yes, this is a great place for advice and support

Tere - big congrats on the wonderful loss

jill - hope everything works out for your brother. Glad SIL can be there now, at least temporarily

Sylvia - what a neat sign at your vet's office.

margaret - check at your local Humane Society. I know they have programs where they have people just come and walk their dogs.

Didn't get up until around 6:30 today. I think part of it was because I had to get up in the middle of the night to get the soup out of the crockpot. Anyway, did an hour of training games on the Wii. Tomorrow I'm planning to do the pilates DVD, hold my plank and then take the extremepump class.

mimi - loved reading about the goats and dogs

Patty - kudos to you on your choices at the Cheesecake Factory

Kim - I used the vinegar on the tile. Some of the "salt" came off. But I think I know why it works so well for you and didn't for me. Your sink is a horizontal surface. My wall is a vertical surface. There was no way I could keep a rag wet with the vinegar on it on that wall. I had to rewet it a few times, but the vinegar still evaporated. However, it did get some of the "salt" off.

Michele in NC

Hello there lovely ladies.

I started cleaning/organizing the (home) office space today. It will take me another day at least. A lot of things get "dumped" in there. One of them being my old binders from my studies, which I completed in 2001! No less! Time to burn those papers. I would have burned more today, but it started pouring rain, so back at it tomorrow. I am also getting rid of 2 old non-working pc's. In addition, we had stored boxes of wine bottles, which hopefully someone will take off our hands. DH had purchased them for our son's wedding 4 years ago, with the intent that he was going to make wine for the reception. However, government regulations proved to be prohibitive to go ahead with that idea.

All of this to say that the thought of downsizing is on my mind. I think it's a good thought. Our house is already fairly small, so time to get rid of the clutter is important at this stage.

I found some old letters today too. That will be a trip down memory lane.

Wishing everyone a good week.

Renny
Vancouver Island. BC

Best to all.

Good morning from cloudy Hampshire:flowerforyou:

Sylvia - so sorry for your nearby fatalities. Hoping for your safety.:flowerforyou:

Cindy - It sounds as if you had a wonderful time. Congratulations on not gaining!:flowerforyou:

Tere - Oh boy! ! ! Fantastic effort!

Mimi - love the goat stories. Keep them coming! I love goat milk and goat cheese. I also love goat curry, but maybe that's a forbidden subject!

Kim - What a delicious sounding meal!:flowerforyou: The red pepper soup is one of my favourites. My gourmet son always insists I sieve it to get rid of the tomato pips. :grumble: The roulade sounds delicious.

Renny - downsizing! :noway: I find I need more space as I get older. Grandchildren is one reason. Spare room for reading in the night! When couples come to stay these dsys they sometimes need two rooms because of the husband's snoring so I make up the sofa bed in DH'S study. Then they can migrate in the night! ! ! ! ! My son was banished last time!:laugh: Then there's gym equipment. . . . If anything happened to DH I would probably move to a smaller place, or rather somewhere a bit smaller in a town. But I do love having visitors .. . . . . . :noway: Let's hope that doesn't happen for a long time. I can just hear the children in 15 years time saying, We're so worried about the parents in that big house. They can't cope! :laugh: :laugh:

DH off to cricket. It's forecast to rain this pm so I have told him to go the pub for lunch with his friend so I can have some time off!:bigsmile: I always have a delicious laksa soup,, very spicy, and watch a film or catch up with a recorded tv show. Today I want to make the rabbits while watching a programme about French wildlife on my tablet.:bigsmile: I do start to miss him after a while, but adore my few hours alone.

Bye for now ladies. Tonight baked fish with a pesto crust. Fresh peas.:drinker:

Hesther in trying to rain Hampshire UK

Morning everyone,

Had a very busy weekend and didn't do so good on the eating. Our DD is getting married mid July and we met with the Caterer who served us cheesecake. Then went to our friend's greenhouse to talk about flowers. Sunday I did get in 2 exercise sessions but just got out of control last night so I just really don't want to weigh in this morning.

DH is losing weight without really trying since I'm not bringing hardly any junk into the house. We are going to end up having to have his suit altered before the wedding.

well today is a new day so back at it with "great exuberance"!!!

My BF got a new "Vegetti" so I borrowed it from her so we will be having zucchini spaghetti tonight.

Have a wonderful day!

Cindy

Bump!

Cindy, I'm so glad you're ok. I need to make a kit too. As I was standing in the storm shelter with the two dogs I thought about all the stuff I wish I had grabbed on the way in there. The sky was so dark and it was raining and blowing so hard I didn't think I had time for a scavenger hunt, so all I got were the leashes and my cell phone. No purse, no meds, no nothing. Hubby was up at his office, so I called him. He wasn't listening to any weather, so he didn't know what was going on. I would not have known if an alert had not sounded on my cell phone. Our neighborhood installed sirens last year, but they didn't go off! Our house is about 7 miles south of hubby's office on campus, and he started watching the radar online and said the dark red part was right over our house, so don't come out of the shelter! We were lucky. The closest real damage was three miles south of us. All we lost were a few limbs. I feel terrible for all the people who died in OK and AR. It sounds like this same storm system is going to cause more trouble today farther east, so I hope everybody stays safe.

Sylvia

Just popping in....someone here lives close to Joplin and there were tornados in Quapaw which is close. Sylvia is that you? Who ever it may be I hope you are yours came through the day and night safely. More later Meg

Lesson too much wine increases appetite which leads to eating too much! Ah salmon egg roll! Have a great day everyone am serious this week with salads, chicken, sweet potatoes and double work outs. My pup Rory is 70 now and is just dragging my walks so I am going to have to cut those short to about 25 minutes and add a work out. BUMMER! School is all but finished and i am already bored, OH NO! There is plenty to do I just don't want to do it. Holler

Hey Ladies!

Just catching up on everyone from Friday! Whew!!! I had two grandkids this weekend and got plenty of exercise. Even Storm was worn out last evening. :yawn:

Sandy: Cardiofit Box class sounds wonderful. I think joining and committing to attending one class at the gym will be one of my goals for next month. I was thinking about water aerobics but I might enjoy the cardiofit box class. Congratulations on your son’s birthday. One day I was busy working in the kitchen and needed his assistance. He and his sister were watching TV in the den. So I called out to him and heard his sister giggling; I called out again and heard her giggling; so I crept down the hall as I called him and finally heard him repeat softly so only she could hear him “I’m a grown-*ss man I don’t have to do anything”. They had a great laugh when I stepped though the doorway and said “I’m a grown-*ss mother and I believe in beating grown-*ss men!” When he turned 30 I wrote in his birthday card “Now you really are a grown *kitten* man!”:laugh:

Carol: Which beach do you go to? The weather seemed to have been just right this weekend. We plan to get down to the Outer Banks – I want to go to the kite store in Kitty Hawk. Love kite flying.

Meg: Glad to see your positive thoughts for your daughter. I love my grandchildren (regardless of how they got started) and you will love yours as well. I am not sure on most days how I feel about their mother and father most days I really would love to give them a spanking.:mad: We do try to pick-up the oldest two twice a month to spend the weekend with us. That way we can make sure there is some stability, good/healthy food, etc. The plus is that we enjoy time spent with them doing things we would never do for ourselves – strawberry picking, duck and geese feeding, visits to the local kiddy animal farms, playing basketball, etc. An extra plus for me is that I get plenty of exercise the weekend they are with me. Fortunately, we have not been abused and do it because it is what we want to do.

Sylvia: Thanks for the jokes! They are priceless and I have a great time sharing them with the SO. I’m cool with the Antarian now! Glad you got to meet a new neighbor. I usually know the animals’ names versus the owners’ names.

Lucky You MiMi! Your living situation is perfect!

Cyclingbonnie: Absolutely delightful joke!:laugh:

Kim: I love the sound of the Garden of Eden. I also love that you guys were able to donate a ton of produce to the food bank! Kudos! Hope you get all the volunteers you need.

YannieJannie: I hadn’t heard about the colored chalk. I’ve enjoyed the different colored hair but think I’m almost over it. I originally wanted to just let it go white….but I started feeling old! So next time around I think I’ll be back to the medium or dark brown. I encourage everyone to do something out of the ordinary every now and then so go for it. I guarantee you will be surprised at other people’s reactions – mostly positive. I hate to admit it I am a part of one of those “joined at the hip couples ” as a matter of fact the last time I went to visit my mother without him she asked me how I managed to get away from him and she loves him to pieces. We do some things by ourselves but usually miss each other. We are both private introverts that act like extroverts so we do things with other couples and family, but we also intentionally do a lot of things just the two of us. I don’t know if your husband is a vet or not, but the SO is a Vietnam vet with PTSD. We went through counseling together and we talk a lot. So he shares in my need to do “something different” and I share in his need to “keep a routine” we just sort of trade off. Through the years I learned his triggers and govern our social lives accordingly. For instance, during the stormy rainy part of the Spring is not a good time for him so I let him be and just do me.

Joyce: Wonderful shopping trip! It does feel good to get smaller sizes!:happy: I am sure you did walk off that Snickers bar!

Cindy and Sylvia: Glad you made out through the storms! We had a horrid winter and the spring doesn’t seem to be much better. :noway:

Moondoggz: Too much wine usually sends me to bed:blushing:

Happy Monday everyone!

Tere

Just popping back in. The tornados are on our news. Terrible! I'm so glad you weren't flattened or worse Sylvia.:flowerforyou:

Knocked two things off my to do list today.:drinker: Made a hair appointment for Thursday. :drinker: That should see me through DGS'S birthday, our holiday and DGD'S christening and beyond. I hate grey roots. My mum stayed blond until she was past 80!
Then I plucked up my courage and rang the posh restaurant in France to book for Sunday lunch, 11th May. That might not sound much, but, although I speak French quite well face to face, I find the phone very intimidating. If I can't see them I find it much more difficult to understand them. I rehearsed what I was going to say and did it!:drinker: Big tick off the list.:drinker:
The owners told us there is a restaurant in our village where all the workers go for lunch. Really cheap with wine or cider included. I love those rustic places, with good, old fashioned food and working men tucking in. So we will defintely be hanging out there.
Still haven't done my rabbits.:grumble: :ohwell:

You know I had invited the young couple for dinner. She is the daughter of my yoga teacher and they are very poor and she is expecting their 3rd. Well, after much badgering I got her to reply to me and it gurns out her boyfriend "hadn't heard" about it and can't fit it in with work for Friday. She knows she told him twice and once in front of her mum, Does that sound familiar, Meg? So it may be that her sister will babysit and she will come with her mum. Yeah! That means I can cook a more adventurous menu as the boyfriend doesn't eat vegetables! ! ! ! !:grumble: :noway: :laugh: You set out with one plan, which was to treat a young couple, and end up with something very different, but may actually be nicer for me as I looooovvvve my yoga teacher!

May we all be safe, healthy and happy and filled with lovingkindness.

Heather in showery Hampshire UK

Joyce – opps! “. I often don't ask the married gals on a weekend as they have that time with hub...” I guess this was written poorly, I was thinking I don’t ask them to take a walk or go to dinner on a weekend vs a weekday as I didn’t want to interfere with their time with their hubbies…. I meant no offence – I really try to respect others family time as I don’t have any family and realize how precious it would be to have a family.

Those in storm zone – take care !!!

Busy day today, more later.

Kim

Here's today's lame joke:



Recently on a routine police patrol parked outside a local neighborhood bar the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his own car which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off.

Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a dry night), flicked the hazard flasher on and off, tooted the horn, and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little, and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as more patrons left in their vehicles. At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the street.

The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer test. To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed alcohol at all!

Dumbfounded, the officer said, "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police Station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken."

"I doubt it," said the man, "Tonight, I'm the designated decoy."

:ohwell:

Sylvia I realize what you said was a joke, but in our state of Minnesota, the police officer would not have had to wait until the car moved. If you are drinking and even get into the car without starting it you can get a DWI.

Prayers going out to those affected by Tornadoes.:flowerforyou:

Margaret