WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2017

Janetr Prom photo was fun to see.

(((Sarah)) we had a drain back up and that was bad enough. A whole basement. Awful. Try to pace yourself with lots of breaks. So sorryyyyyyyyyyy!

Being vigilant on doing those exercises as your DH is doing key to his healing. Kudos to him. My knee is starting to improve with doing exercises prescribed by PT. I know it is hard to be patient as you heal. I know I pay a price if I do not pace myself. I was able to do some gardening yesterday and I did get to the pool too. Progress.

Margaret

Stronglift Rest Day

Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squats-6X5X 35
Russian kettle bell swing-36X7X 35

40lbs loss by May 27 Challenge
Buns, Guns and Abs challenge.
Rest day squats
9 push-ups
35 leg lifts

April move your @$$ Challenge
I am going to take 2-2 mile walks today.

I dropped another 0.6 pound today!



Mary from Minnesota

Sharon ~ Congrats on all the compliments on your dress! Could you post a picture of you in it? I bet you looked spectacular.

Barbie ~ Sounds like you had a delightful day going to the theater with your friend and dining on good food. So sorry Jake wasn't able to go with you.

Fixing to walk the Pom!

Carol

Barbie - So glad you had an amazing day. I always think you can pack so much into one day out, it's as if you've been on holiday. Tiring though.

Janetr - Your granddaughter looks a lot like you. Lovely girl and lovely dress. We do proms in Britain nowdays, but we never did when I was a girl. I think I would have found it all very stressful.

Sharon - So sorry about your basement! Horrible!

I've just been for a rare walk around the lanes with DH. He gets out most days, but I'm not a keen walker in the countryside. It is stunningly beautiful here at the moment and the weather is perfect, so I felt I had to get out. Not counting those calories in my daily total. The bluebells are out and lots of butterflies this year. I did the "short walk" - only about 45 mins, but better than nothing. I did my usual exercises this morning. DH carried on for the long walk. After the indulgence of the last two days I have to up my game. My knee wasn't too happy, or I would have continued. It varies so much from day to day.

Much love, Heather UK xxxxxxx

Chris- thanks so much for sharing your story of abuse with us. You talked of your step father in past tense has he passed away? I know sometimes they suggest confronting your abuser in the form of writing, reading it to them, and then burning it! Congratulations on your low weight! You are doing amazing!

Karen VA- thanks! Those peppermint patties can be dangerous! I love the moccasins that your partner made for Olivia!

Barbie - I am glad that you and your walking partner enjoyed your day! I'm sure it was hard to leave your DH at home. Especially when he had planned that event so carefully for the both of you.

Janetr - your granddaughter is lovely! What a beautiful prom picture!

Sharon- I am so glad that you received compliments on your dress. It was also complements toward your accomplishments.

Have a great day everyone!



Mary from Minnesota

Oh Ladies ... I am so impressed with all of your talents and strengths and wisdom!

Lenora ... you asked where my son is ... he's finishing his first year at Lipscomb University in Nashville. He's a contemporary music major (a needle in a haystack career choice). He is an extremely gifted guitarist and has recently discovered that his voice talents are rivaling his guitar skills. His hope/dream is to be a songwriter or producer ... not so much a performer. We agreed to help fund this endeavor because he had a very rocky high school career due to chronic migraines and we believed that he would do best following a career track that was highly interesting to him and therefore highly motivating. He really didn't attend high school for the last 2-1/2 years...and my thoughts about that are not particularly good. I fault the school, his doctors and, to some degree, myself for agreeing to it. He was not prepared to go to college. And yet, miraculously, he is doing a pretty good job of it. However ... his management of money leaves a lot to be desired. Thus, the need for a discussion when he gets home. Is he "spoiled" ... in a word, yes. Even at school he managed to land a part-time job that pays $100 for about two hours work each Sunday! He's balking at working for minimum wage this summer ... awww.

Knees ... it must be the season of knee problems.

Sigh. I was in the ER last night unable to put weight on my knee. Long story I won't bore you all with. Suffice to say that my plans to take care of my Dad have been derailed. A neighbor came in to help take care of our son last night and we're scrambling to find emergency staff for today. All of my plans are thrown out the window. Seriously, I do not have time for this!! I'm to make an appointment tomorrow with an orthopedic doctor, who I'm sure will order an MRI and then,Margaret, order PT which I won't be able to get to since I'm hobbling around on crutches. My DH (who is recovering from back surgery and couldn't even load the dishwasher last night) will drive to Cleveland (4 hours) to take care of my dad?? I am so angry with myself right now!! And that budget that we just crafted? That got thrown out the window as well with my new inability to work!

So please keep sharing your lovely photos and your courageous stories ... you are all blessings to me!

Beth in a chair near Buffalo

HI folks, I can use some encouragement. I lost 30 pounds on here but got away from it during my divorce (yeah, that weight loss opened up ALL kinds of doors!!), gained it back and now I need to lose the weight again. I know this one really works if you stick to it. Diets don't work but managing calories and offsetting with exercise really makes sense and it works.

Another light day. I love ❤️ having Kirby home

Katla - would you believe that the Salvation Army near us now locks its dressing room? I asked why and the lady told me that they've had people go into the dressing room with "buggies" (shopping carts -- I'll never get used to that name) and put clothing inside other things in the cart. I was shocked! We're not talking a lot of money. But then again, Vince always says that I'm too trusting. I would never have thought of someone trying to steal something, but it makes sense now that I think about it. One time they had a neighborhood garage sale and this lady asked me to be in it. I told her that all I would have would be less than one card table, it isn't worth it.

Lisa - breathtaking! At first I thought it was stained glass.

Carmen - welcome

I just found my first driver's license. No picture (they didn't do that in those days). It listed my weight as 103. That was probably the last time I was ever that weight

Lanette - there's no place around here where you can take a dead or even older TV. Everyone wants only flatscreens

It's supposed to be nice weather next week so Vince actually suggested that we'll start opening the pool. YYYYEEEAAAAA

Beth - I'm so so sorry you were in the ER

abhamilton - keep coming back here for encouragement and tips. Welcome!

Michele in NC

Barbie what a fun day.

(((Beth))) sorry about your knee. Like Lanette I could always walk on it. Although sometimes it was more of a hobble. I think mine is more tendonitis for me too. Mine hit when I was under intense stress. Do what you need to do to heal. I feel for you because I know how painful it can be. At the worst I also used a cane. For sleeping I had to learn to sleep on my back and not have any blankets or sheets on it. I found when it first hit sleeping on a couch helped because I could not toss and turn. Every time I rolled over it hurt.

Since I am not on a blood thinner I put ginger on about everything and that seemed to help. If you use an over the counter you will probably need to up the dose to make it effective. If you can get ahead of the pain make sure you take your dose before it hurts.

Sending you healing thoughts.

Margaret

Michele – Some people will ‘steal’ something for the sake of ‘stealing’ it; quite often they will say something stupid like, “Gee, I don’t remember picking this up, I don’t really need it.” and give it back to whoever stopped them. That might work for a young teenager (once or twice) – in a small town where the store owner knows the parents back in the ’60’s; but, kids are going to large stores such as Wal-Mart and walking out of the store with things as large as TVs and trying to get away with it. That isn’t something that you ‘just forgot you picked up’. That is consciously stealing. Same thing for ‘putting something inside of something else’; or sticking it in or under your clothes. Legally, if you stick a pack of gum in your shirt pocket, even if you have not left the store, you could be charged with ‘shoplifting’. You know the temptation of all the candy and chewing gum as you check out of the grocery store; when Trey was little, still sitting in the 'seat' (Will wasn't even born at the time), I did not see him pick up a pack of gum until we got out to the parking lot. He was about to open it, and I told him 'I did not pay for that, you stole it, so now we have to go back and take it back to the store and you have to apologize for taking it'. So, I marched his young little butt back in the store to the Clerk who had checked us out and told her that 'my son has something to give you and something to say'. He handed it back and told her 'I stole this, because I did not ask my Mama if I could have it'. And she turned and (I guess was more embarrassed for him) and said, 'oh, baby, that's ok'. "NO M'ham it is NOT ok, ... Trey give it back to the lady." As we turned to leave the lady being checked out said, 'bet he'll never be tempted to lean over and grab one of those 'baby' charmers'. I laughed and told her that 'we sure hoped so'. He still remembers it and he is 40. Our DYS was quite a bit older when he 'learned that lesson'; but, he sure 'did learn it'. Thankfully, he was allowed to plead out on it. They had raided a bonfire party he had been at; so several of them were at the Sheriff's Department when we got there to pick him up, all being charged for 'under-age drinking'. One of the convenience store were selling to under-age kids; I think the store owner was in 'more trouble than Will was for a 'snatch and grab'. Louis and I went to go pick up his truck (thankfully he had not gotten into it) and I wanted to take my trusty little belt with me; but, Louis would not let me take it 'inside'. That cured him of taking something he did not intend on paying for.

Some people have been ‘black-balled’ from some stores and get ‘escorted out’ if they come in. I’ve never seen anything I wanted bad enough to go to ‘jail’ for. One day I went with a couple of HS friends of mine; and, I saw one pick up something on our way to the elevator and stick it in her pocket; I immediately turned around and left and went to another store that I knew they’d come to in a little while. I’m just glad they did not get caught and I had been innocent of anything. I’ve seen others doing the same thing, some of them not so much on the sly … it is almost like they want to get caught or they are covering for someone else to steal something larger. When some of the stores cut back on help and put the cash registers in the cross-walks of the store, I can understand why it'd be easy for someone to stick something somewhere and walks out … no security, no help from a clerk.

I’ve walked clean across Belk’s from the women’s section at the mall entrance to the shoe department by the back door to pay for items because nobody was in the clothes’ department. I've even checked out clothes at the make-up counter before. People steal from ‘garage sales’. I generally put a sign up, “If you want something bad enough to steal; talk to me – I can make it an easy to deal!” But, I would probably walk up behind them and say something like, 'it is obvious that you needed that item more than I did', and leave it like that. I don't think I would ever confront them or call the police. I will ‘only’ have a garage sale if it is going in with 2 or 3 other people. But, then you have to figure out a way to keep each item so the owner gets the money’.

I think I weighed 116lbs in HS, soaking wet with shoes on; weight 125lbs when I married; weight 90lbs after losing my first pregnancy and chemo; and, back to 125lbs until I retired and went from 125lbs about 1 or 2 lbs a month until I ended up weighing 200lbs.

Becca – Both my 2 oldest granddaughters (who have extremely thick hair) will braid their hair and let it dry. Or they will comb through it and let it dry naturally. But, after it is dry they don’t comb through it again, because if they do it will make it either frizz or stick out like they have double the hair. Both my 2 youngest granddaughter also have very thick hair! Only my step-granddaughter doesn’t have a tender head. Her mother is the cosmetologist; and, she has made sure she did not have one. I enjoyed being able to have her sitting in front of me and allowing me to comb/brush her wet/dry hair. I’ve never had that pleasure before.

Grandchild (step) killed her first turkey yesterday. They made a short video of it and posted it to my FB page. Becca and Michele, you can see it on my page. Fair warning, it is a bit gruesome if you are not someone familiar with hunting things. They are really dead, just flapping around anyway. They sent me ‘still’ pictures of her carrying it over her shoulder … it came down to her knees. First thing she asked Will was, ‘so now I can have a turkey on my wall (or something; it was a big bird but not a ‘huge’ one; so a full mount is totally out of the question). They will probably have the ‘fan, spurs, and beard’ framed out.

Lenora