WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR DECEMBER 2014

Forgot to mention that I also iced the banana chocolate cake that we're going to have.

Actually, since Shadow doesn't get along with other cats and is right now missing Lance, it probably would have been better for Melanie if Denise had brought her on the plane. Poor Melanie is going to be so stressed, Jess said when she got Melanie Melanie hissed at Jess. Well, that stands to reason, Jess is a stranger to her. Also, it seems that this dog that Petey got gets all the attention and poor Melanie gets pushed aside, at least that's how I see it. They go down the shore a lot and there are lots and lots of pics of the dog at the shore but none of Melanie. Denise told Vince today that she leaves Melanie alone for days at a time, no one checking in on her or anything.

The flight's delayed. So now we'll probably leave around 8.

Michele in NC

evening folks~
Im so mad at myself, we went to the pool this afternoon and I took my fit bit off, and put it on the beach bag, and just NOW remembered to put it back on OY...
we had a dinner party tonight, I am exsausted,did all the cooking, setting up, serving.. and did the dishes DH dried, but I am about to collapse.. supposed to be rainy here tomorrow so will just relax, maybe run out and get a few things at Hobby Lobby.. but will see..

love the poacher noel! here are the stats for the day, tomorrow i work 1/2day, that means i will be riding home the 11 mi...., no sounder running during the afternoon.
stats for the day:
Ride hm 2 gym- 10.39min 16.6amph 3mi
ski machine- 40min, 20-45resis, 2.09mi
ride gym 2 dome- 6.45min 12.8amph 1.4mi
ride dome 2 hm- 19.57min, 8.2amph, 2.7mi, windy

I leave early in the morning to take a friend to pick up her grandson for Christmas. Since I'll be gone most of the day, I'll tell you all my Christmas wish for you.
I wish that we all have a great day, enjoy your solitude or your family and friends, enjoy the food you choose to eat but just don't overdo. Most of all, I wish you all good health.

Thanks for the answers to my question about a Jan group. Ya'll are the best.

Janet in Myrtle Beach, SC

Hello friends -

It's been a gloomy, rainy day. Got to the gym for my 70 minutes of water work. My back is better now that I am running in the water again. I had stopped that last week because of the back pain and feeling blah. I think leaving it off my workout was part of the trouble.

After the Y I had to meet with the banker to roll over some 403B funds. Was really pleased that the banker didn't think I was 59 1/2 when I'm 65! Not getting into details - I set myself up for a messy transition with my retirement funds. I am praying all things fell into place well enough to please the IRA. Now I am praying not to be audited(don't want to have to outline all the steps it took me to get to here) UGH! after an hour and a half I made it home sarving! I ate a healthy lunch (little more than usual) and did not let my emotions control me! YEAH!

Now we are finalizing plans for dinner at DDIL's aunt's house tomorrow. I don't have to cook anything! (makes me feel a bit guilty)just arranging rides and arrival, etc. I am planning to eat shrimp, relishes, turkey, cranberry sauce, a small dinner roll, and a sugar cookie. The cheesy vegetable casseroles and stuffing have no appeal anymore.

Tonight my hubby - who is very undemonstrative about his affection for me (although he's always kind and caring) -presented me with a beautiful gold necklace. It has a one inch gold bar on a dainty chain. The bar is engraved with "Charlie Loves Toni". I was shocked and so touched! We usually don't do gifts to each other although he did give me a neck massager one year. I just wanted to share my joy a bit!

Welcome new folks - Janet love your MFP name!

Sylvia - love the pictures of the pups! Sorry about the haircut.

Katla - your travel plans sound good for all of you.

Cynthia - the curtains are lovely - nice environment to contemplate business

Diana - what a wonderful gesture for your son. God bless him for his service.

Love and Hugs
Toni in Tennessee

HMMM, seems as if my post frm this morning is gone again. I would like to know who this cyber fairy is and report him/her to Santa Claus. I can't remember what in the world I said this morning. I do remember commenting on Cynthias room. It was before she put the picture up with the drapes closed. Very pretty, love the rose carpet and drapes. What do you put in the display case?

Note to self, do not go to Walmart without your husband. We usually go about twice a week just to get my fresh fruits and veggies and more yogurt. Since we don't cook at home we don't have a lot of groceries. We get food for breakfast and lunches and that's it. Well I went tonight to get some items for dinner at my sister's house on the 25th. We jsut decided today, this evening what we were going to do. since we don't celebrate Christmas until January we kind of put off planning what to do on the 25th. Her son used to fix breakfast on the 25th and invite his parents but he is such an awful cook they finally convinced them to go to thier home instead and they would do the cooking. So they do that at 10 AM and my nephew isn't in the mood to drive all the way back to town (5 miles come on Alan) and so us two sisters and spouses and my daughter have a meal. the men don't like it that we usually have sandwiches but i never see them taking over the kitchen offering to cook. Both my sister and I are disabled and we do a BIG dinner for when all the family comes in next week so we do light for the 25th. So charlie went out for his karaoke tonight and i left for Wal-Mart. I enjoy people watching so I didn't mind. I kind of just wandered the store, wanted to get the stocking gifts done. Grand daughters love things for their hair so it's easy to do. Anyway, the oldest grand daughter put on her wish list a chandelier for her locker or her room. Some of the things on it were just the dreams of a teenager. But I found a beautiful chandelier in the Christmas ornament section for $1.98! Instead of lights it has 'jewels' and it's about the size of the locker chandeliers which are battery operated. Charlie liked it. But instead of spending our usual $30 I spent $143.00!!!
We have the most money in our family and we are retired, have our house and one car paid off so I usually get more than my share of the candy for the stockings. We got a big bag the other day at Sam's and I am sure that Charlie thinks that is what I usually buy so tonight I got two more big bags.
Several weeks ago I went over to my sister's house and we worked on these ornaments that I am making for both my girls. Well I used a paint pen and painted Michelle's blue and I fashioned the Indianapolis Colt's insignia on it. When I so proudly showed Charlie, he told me that it was upside down. An upside down horse shoe means that they are losing. So I used my finger nail polish remover and removed that part. So today I went over there and used it again to fill it in and then brought it home to finish. I was going to do this DIY project for all the ladies in the family for thier stockings but I couldn't figure out how to do this one knot. So I gave in and had my sister help me with it. So we made all 12 of those and they look very nice. It's a cookie cutter with a jingle bell suspended with a pretty red ribbon. So I got one thing done. Still have to wrap everything!!! And I mean everything!

Sylvia, my sister has gone to Penny's and doesn't like it either. I go to a dear friend and it's a lot of fun. She has it in her own home and no one else is there, she has wonderful music on

Allison, what do the other people in your family do while you are doing all of this? I would think some one would get up and help.

Joyce, Indiana

Well my post is still there! Hopefully when I wake up it will still be here. I cut, copy and pasted before I hit post
Joyce

Hello to everyone and happy christmas eve. I am in the kitchen and my gorgeous daughter is making peppermint bark and florentines both of which are full of calories and fat so luckily she is making them for a party she is going to otherwise i may succumb.

I am now ready for christmas having been food shopping at 7am this morning and then into our local town for a couple of bits. I have shopped sensibly in order that I will not put weight on over christmas - fingers crossed.

I always find christmas to be emotional, my mum passed away a few years ago and I miss her loads, since then my sister moved to malta and my brother to Florida and all my family live so far away, I am lucky to have a great hubby and two kids but feel that sometimes I wish I had a big family to fill the house with.

Then I think well if the house was full I would probably be stressed so I cant win.

I hope you guys are all ready for a great christmas and new year.

I love the posts on here so will check in even tomorrow for a read.

thinking of you all over the next few days.

Heather in Northampton. xxxx

well.... today I work 1/2 day, we have breakfast potluck this morning, did a spin class this morning, of course all Christmas music. there wont' be a train running at noon so I will be riding home (roughly around 11 mi and they AIN'T flat!). oh well, I got my music and an opp to burn more calories. I am getting these spurts of depression/sadness thinking about my sister and husband (late husband). I will make it thru, I always do. have a great Christmas Eve or whatever else you celebrate everyone, I will post my stats after the ride this afternoon.

Good news is.......my cold is on the way out. Had a solid night's sleep after Messiah and didn't get up until 7am! We had a man with a beautiful deep voice singing behind us and that alone made the effort to get there worth it.......I just shut up and listened and enjoyed. We were running a bit later than usual for this event (DD lifguarded 7a to 3p then worked the show barn until 6:30p) and we ended up in the third balcony which is usually bad seating. She doesn't work till 3p today so I'm having broccoli and mushroom alfredo before she goes off to the show barn.
Very BAD news......Christmas just got flushed down the toliet here. Tomorrow she offered (!!!!) to work at my friend's barn both am and pm since both the other women (strangers, really) she shares the job with have kids........which, granted, is a very nice thing to do for those women........BUT, we have missed enough family Christmas's when DH was military......until she was 6 and he retired, I either had to change the day because of his 24hr. duty rotation (when she was too little to tell the difference) or he was entirely gone.........and had been for months. Bah Humbug!!! And all those earlier holidays I worked as an RN when it wasn't my holiday rotation (again, because he was GONE) ..........sorry, I have more than "paid my dues" in missing out on family Christmas ............rant ended on here, but certainly not over in real life. We don't have that big family thing.......there's only the three of us. I am stomping my foot furious. We NEVER have a family Thanksgiving on that holiday because of volnteering and now this. Mentally, I'm ready to drag that stupid tree out to the curb and rip down every decoration...........now. I'm just getting more and more angry so I'll stop now.
yanniejannie

DGS nearly swallowing his new recorder!
Sad to see them go, but DH is snoring on the sofa and I know we will have a lovely quiet time together.
Heather UK

Yanniejannie: I don't know how far away the barn is or what the work entails; at our barn there's putting the horses out in the morning (and doing the stables if the boarders don't - BTW we have to pay extra if we don't do it ourselves) and then there are several hours until the horses are brought in again. Maybe DD can come along in between if it's that kind of arrangement. She might not have realized how you felt about missing out on all those years.
Don't eat yourself up about it. I know you're disappointed, though. I'm sure my mom is too, because I visit in the summer from 3000 miles away, and haven't been there for Christmas for several years. This year we can probably see each other, though, if I call my brother on FaceTime.

Merry Christmas eve everyone. Yannie I am so sorry that your Christmas has been ruined. Yes you have paid your dues. Sometimes after a big rant your conscience seems to recover and you realize you can salvage this. Just remember years back when your family compromised and celebrated at a different time. Did you have fun at that time? I am kind of bummed that tomorrow everyone will have their families with them or maybe an intimate time with just husband or few friends. I won't either. It will be a usual day just like all others instead of a small dinner with my sister and husband. at least at her house it will be all decorated fro Christmas and in mine the only decorations are in the family room and the lights on the tree aren't even lit.

Heather in North Hampton, do all your family have computers and skype? It's a great way to communicate with family who lives a good distance.

Heather, your daughter is as beautiful as you. Here in Evansville, all the 4th graders learn to use the recorders and we have an annual concert in our stadium with all sorts of different choirs, honor choirs, show choirs, and the recorders. The kids think of it as a right of passage.

Now that I am going back to church I am looking forward to the Christmas eve service tonight. The one we had at the church I used to go was help at about 11:30 PM and was beautiful. We ended up at midnight singing Silent Night with all our candles lit. My sister and I ended up holding hands and crying. Then on our way home we have a particular route we take on our way to her house that is know for their decorations. I have no idea what the Christmas eve service is like at my new church and it is at 6 PM but we will go.

Well think I am going to give myself a gift and go wrap presents!

Joyce, Indiana

Merry Christmas eve.At son`s helping him get ready for dinner and family.DIL is working.
Exercise and fun.
hugs to u all
jane