WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2016

Hi gals,

Alison – I have a question, some of the folks on the site are calling you Allie, and that is what I think of you as but wonder what you like to be called? And to echo Lisa, I am glad to see you begin to stand up to Tom, you deserve the answers you are requesting!

Miriam – velveeta boxes! I have not had velveeta in years (30+) but the boxes - I remember as a kid getting the boxes and loving them! They were beds for bigger dolls, Troll homes, I covered them with wrapping paper and stored all sorts of stuff in them! They were great!!!

Margaret – I don’t say it often enough but I love the pictures and think of you and your DH often.

I have been using my 1 ¼ hour walk with Levi to think about things, and one of the subjects that have haunted me is gifts. We talked before Christmas about feeling obligated by holidays or non-obligated by random gift giving. And I do like the idea of non-obligation gift giving, but realized that for me the obligation helps me with the folks that are “difficult” so for example I have one friend that while I do like her tons I would probably never get her anything, as she and dh are shoppers and there are little to no financial controls. They are very very hard to gift to, and it really takes me “having to” to take the time to sit down and come up with something that she might like. And even then I don’t hit the right thing pretty often. This year we are not celebrating until late January so it will be interesting to see how I do, they entertain a ton, and so I thought up the idea of new kitchen towels, so I am doing a set of everyday (their property has a logo) a set of summer, a set of fall, and a set of Christmas – 2 dish drying towels and 2 hand towels for each – seems like a lot but it is Christmas and her birthday (same day).

Heather – I got the hairy biker cookbooks (1 and 3) for a friend for Christmas and they made the chicken rosemary pots and loved them! Thanks for the lead.


Kim from N. California

Hi all! Would like to join the group and discussion. My goal for 2016 is to lose 2 lbs per week, following the South Beach Diet (has worked before) and to start running again with the goal of starting to complete races again this year.

Hi everyone. So many pages! Today is a beautiful sunny day and of course I don't feel well. Bleh! We got the leased car for Alena yesterday and she'll start paying us back on that one too. But it satisfied the "mommy factor". Where else could I get a good car for under $6K that's reliable and I won't worry about? Certainly all the used ones we looked at in that price range were sketchy to say the least. So we are all happy and now she has something to save for, since they already told her what the resale price would be if she wants to buy it at the end of the lease.

Take care all, going back to work tomorrow and hopefully back on my good habits! Meg from bright Omaha.

PS anyone watch the TCU game last night? The only interesting bowl game in the whole pack!

Alison - why are you cooking all those dinners for Tom?

Jane - sorry I haven't responded to you. Sending you loving thoughts for you and your MIL.

Penny - I have my Svalbaard calendar on the kitchen door. Lots of photos of old, rusty trains. :laugh:

My ragu (bolognese) was utterly delicious. I caved in and had one and a half oz of tagliatelle, but still came in at 400. I've got 4 more pots for the freezer. I make it from an Elizabeth David recipe, including chicken livers. Yum!

Kim - Your tea towels sound lovely and you will surely enjoy making them. :flowerforyou: I have been on Amazon today, looking for new tea towels and want to throw a lot away. Didn't find the perfect ones though. :laugh: I want blue with a pop of pink. :ohwell:

War and Peace tonight on the BBC, adapted by Andrew Davies, so it should be fun! I have read it at least three times and love it, even the battle strategy. Normally I don't like period drama, but I'll give this a go. Recording Endeavour (the young Morse) as it's on at the same time, but I hate adverts and prefer to fast forward.

Love to all. WELCOME all the new ladies. No gimmicks on this thread - just eat less, move more. Log all food and activity. Balance it. It works. I am living testament. :laugh:

Heather in rainy Hampshire UK

I would love to join your group. My name is Sue and I will turn 60 this year. I have always struggled keeping my weight down, but the last few years my weight has ballooned up quickly as a result of my response to a lot of stress in my life. I haven't managed how to deal with stress without turning to comfort food and the ironic thing is, gaining weight also adds to my stress.

My overall 2016 health goal is to lose weight. I don't want to assign a certain number of pounds; I want to be satisfied with what I lose when following a healthy diet.

January goals:
Log into MyFitnessPal every day
Walk at least 30 minutes every day
Increase fruit and vegetables to 5 servings a day
Increase water intake to 8 glasses a day
Post at least weekly on this thread.

Looking forward to getting to know you gals this coming year.
Sue

Hi SueLouise1 ... I just learned how to book mark this discussion page and I added you as a friend. Click the gray star at the top left hand side of this discussion page and you will find it again in your book mark drop down bar. Thanks for your help BarbieCat

Hi! I'm new to this group and look forward to receiving and hopefully giving support! I've got 2 teenage boys who are very active with sports and 1 son who is out of our home. This year my first goal is to begin bringing my lunch daily to work. I've just finished preparing, measuring, and dividing out the meals for this week. Hope I can continue this and build towards my next goal!

Would love to de clutter, my problem is DH. He loves stuff, I throw he brings in. I organize he un, never puts back in the same place. Mother was ill n never taught as a child, now a pattern. He's a great DH , clutter is his only fault. Downtown Abbey starts this eve, and Viking/ packers game. Sometimes, 2 sets going!! Gayle Minneapolis

This writing on message boards is totally new for me so please bear with me. I want to try something new this year because "doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of crazy." "How do you eat an elephant, one bite at a time."

Happy New Year!
Dee

Oh Gayle, Vikings vs Packers would be a tough one in my family. We grew up in Minneapolis so I'm basically for the Vikings all the way. But when my youngest sister started her family they lived in Madison and she and (especially) her husband became fervent Packers fans.

We just had some absolutely fabulous Northern Lights AND a couple shooting stars to boot. I'm really happy my son was here to see them because last time he was here and we had great Northern Lights, he was just developing pneumonia (not that we knew it yet) and didn't feel up to going out.

All the chillen are asleep so all the adults are chillin'
/Penny, twice as far as usual from the ... but still pretty close ...

Jane, hope you feel better, and the outcomes for your DMIL are good.

Lagopus, just curious - where do you live? I live in Alaska. I was wondering as you posted about seeing the Northern Lights.

Sue, from Alaska

Dear ladies,
Yep I think the cleaning bug has bit our thread here. Which is a good thing! A cleaner home gives us space to breathe!

There was a story in an Oprah Magazine once that talked about cleaning your mental home as well. It said, that our mind is like a house with many rooms, some tidy others locked, and yet others utterly a disaster. True we all have things that we have locked in closets, (if skeletons could talk!) but one thing I'm trying to start this year is "saying what I mean, and mean what I say" kind of thinking. So no mentally balancing on a fence for me. No hiding things in locked rooms inside my head. I am an open book. I did notice when I started cleaning, that it brought a lot of emotional stuff up. Mental cleaning is a messy business, but what you are left with is a mind that can soar! Getting rid of stresses to let the creative spark alight.

My purpose as a parent is to do the best I can with my sons, then let go and let them make mistakes. Funny story, my youngest son was learning to ride his bike. So we are on a paved bike trail behind our house in California. He has his training wheels off, and he rides, fairly fast, but then instead of actually USING the brakes he would just jump off his bike from the side. The most amazing stupid, brave, funny thing you ever saw! He would stand back up after plowing his body into bushes, and rocks exclaiming, "This riding business is painful". Sometimes our kids learn how to do things in the most absurd ways, but eventually they learn. Just be there for a shoulder, or in my case, a carton of band-aids.

My cold has turned into a hacking fit now and then. Still taking medicine, and letting it run its course. Janet make me soup, and I will send you some stew I am concocting today.

Everyone, you seem quite motivated this new year, and it looks MAUVALOUSSS on you all!!!

Becca
Oregon

Katla49 wrote: »

My riding lesson yesterday was a real pleasure but I came home with sore knees. They're feeling better this morning. The different part of the equation was that I spent some time cantering. :bigsmile: I have mastered the trot without wrecking my knees by limiting posting. Now I need to learn to canter without irritating my knees. (They are feeling much better this morning.)

Katla in Beautiful NW

Katia, Nice to see other horse women here! I assume you're riding English/Dressage since you're posting. Have you tried riding with a little longer stirrup? It worked wonders for me in both my dressage and western saddles. I have one bum knee...haven't had it diagnosed yet, but after one of my dogs plowed into it and it hyper extended it throbs below the kneecap now and again. Especially if I do a lot of standing.

Trying another new chicken recipe tonight. Pulled out my Weight Watchers cookbooks last night. Chicken with broccoli and oranges was delicious (hubby who doesn't care for citrus loved it)!

Feeling so motivated by you ladies, I want to go reorganize my closet and drawers!!