Feb./March 2019 Gratitude and Chatting

retirehappy
retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
edited March 2019 in Social Groups
Hope the new year is treating everyone kindly.

Replies

  • wandakc
    wandakc Posts: 227 Member
    edited February 2019
    I just spent the better part of the day working on our Finances. This is when I really get a clear picture that I am no longer employed and do not have a income :o I am starting to realize I my spending is for NEEDS only. I'll have to avoid Quilt and Fabric shops. Still I would rather be home than working !
    I wish everyone a great February, may we all be losers ;)
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    Yes, retirement lets us focus on our needs.

    We have found a budget with some "fun stuff" money lets us feel freer. We don't just blow money to blow it anymore. We each have some fun money per month and we just do what we like with it. Honestly since most of my recreation is focused on my free fitness classes, walking, reading via my Kindle and forums on PC I usually don't spend too much of it. Our library uses Overdrive and Libby apps so lots of free reading material and I am a Prime member so there is a monthly freebie from Amazon as well.

    Now is the time to use all that stuff you collected while working with not enough time to use the materials. Now you have the time to get creative with what you already own. I have a friend who is into yarn crafts, she buys anything she likes while employed and has a huge shelf unit in the basement for when she retires. I've already put in my order for a pancho o:)
  • CrisEBTrue
    CrisEBTrue Posts: 453 Member
    edited February 2019
    Hey ya'll...

    I don't have any positive news to report in the weight loss department, but my A1C is down again.. which was a complete shock. :D

    But I'll take that good news any day.

    I hate January; I always get down in the dumps, and this year January ended badly with the death of my BFF; we'd been friends since we were 14 years old. So I kind of fell off the low-carb thing. ::munch munch munch::

    I was so bad, I even made BREAD. I haven't made bread in YEARS. >:)

    But I'm snapping out of it, and I need to be good to myself. Again.

    This am I stopped by Kohl's on the way back from the Dr's office and ?? WTH. Everything was ugly. Dreary, drab colors.
    I was going to buy some socks but I lost my shopping mojo after about 15 minutes of trudging through racks of grey, dark green, black, UGLY clothes. And I'm not even talking about the plus sizes...I didn't get THAT far. I got depressed and left before I could talk myself into buying some *new-cheer-me-up and motivate me-exercise clothes*.


    Wandakc: if you like fabrics and crafts and quilting.. you might check to see if your area has a Project Linus group.
    In Raleigh our Blanketeers group gets a lot of donations of fabrics and yarns for blankets we donate back to Project Linus, who sends them on to kids in hospitals. Once a year we have a Make a Blanket Day and every year I come home with 5+ bags of FREE, brand new fabrics and assorted yarns... I haven't been in a fabric store in months.

    Here are some of the fabrics on the free table

    415r1ag5dhf4.jpg



    Now, if I can find a way to crochet or knit while on an exercise bike (without killing myself) I'll be set.
    I can actually crochet small items while pedaling but I haven't done it (or any other exercise) in awhile. My bad)


    Here's a quilt I made out of donated fabrics.

    zogo3pcls0s6.jpg



  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    CrisEbTrue that quilt is very cute. Better to wrap yourself in that than to eat all those goodies.

    Was very sorry to hear you lost your BFF of so many years. {{{Big Cyber HUGS}}} Just remember, eating stuff that is bad for you won't bring her back to you.

    Glad you saw improved A1C numbers. Keep up the carb cut backs. You can get those numbers down.

  • wandakc
    wandakc Posts: 227 Member
    CrisEb True that quilt is adorable, I also love the photo of your fabrics 🤗. I just returned from a quilting w/e with friends most are retired as well. It’s great to get together with like minded friends.
    Since Monday I’ve been up to my eyeballs with helping mom sort {stuff}. It’s quite draining
    Time to get refocused on me ! Have a great February 👌
  • daklock
    daklock Posts: 54 Member
    New to this group. I've been following for a few weeks but haven't posted. I really like the quilt, Cris Eb True. I am looking forward to doing some quilting myself. My husband just finished renovating a room in our house for me to use as a sewing room. Feeling really grateful for that and for my wonderful husband. Next step is to make an organizing unit so I can gather up all my sewing supplies and fabrics and then get onto some sewing/quilting. Also feeling grateful for MFP and the support here - I've lost 20 pounds in last 2 months.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    @daklock, congrats on the weight loss and a big welcome to the group.
  • MissDenise1952
    MissDenise1952 Posts: 41 Member
    Hope the new year is treating everyone kindly.

    I'm doing good, and congratulations on your success, you look lovely;) I am doing way better since finding this group today! Denise!!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    Denise, thank you.

    I hope you can reach your goals. The group is pretty quiet lately, but a few of us do visit regularly.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    I love learning new things. Like this bit of history about storing butter in Ireland and Scotland bogs.
    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40975-y
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 460 Member
    Good morning everyone. Have not been on for a couple of months. This winter really knocked me for a loop as far as the intermittent fasting but it is FINALLY Spring in upstate NY!! I tweaked my fasting window and have now lost almost 5 lbs this month. (this is of the 8 that I gained after moving from Florida to upstate New York. My first winter here has been quite an adjustment!) Now I am looking forward to the month of June. Because I have been living in different places over the years, and mostly because I love the Fall, I have never been home during our annual high school reunion and this year will be something special. It will be my first reunion and it will also be the 50th for my class!! My goal is to attend it weighing less than I did when I graduated! I only have 8 lbs to go to make that goal!! Since starting first Paleo AIP (to put my RA in remission) and then IF to lose weight, I am now at a total of a 70 lb. loss since the spring of 2016 so I am pretty happy with that, but still want to lose at least another 40 for the arthritis in my knees. I live in ongoing gratitude for having discovered the power of nutrition and health and FINALLY doing it without resorting to things like Weight Watchers. I hope everyone is doing well!!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    Nice to see you back DreamOn145. Sounds like you have done well. NY had a wild winter along with a lot of the rest of the NE coast. A real change from FL. winter for sure. Hope you get those 5 lbs removed and reach your goal. Hope to hear more from you. Let us know how you progress on those last 5.

    Spring finally decided to warm up a bit, we got into the 70s yesterday and will again today, but snow is in the forcast for the weekend. I feel for all the folks who have to work all week and miss the nice days. I always hated that when I was working.
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 460 Member
    I have been stopping in a lot more lately as I struggle to get back on the intermittent fasting regularly. I am going through a spell where some days my appetite correction kicks right in (two days ago) and I only really want one meal and then follow it with a day like yesterday when I seem to be hungry all day long! I think my problem yesterday was that I had a bag of pears that were starting to get very ripe and I did not want to waste them to I put a pot of homemade pear preserves on the stove and subconsciously that scent was triggering my appetite! lol I should have known better than that! It's almost time for that monthly weigh in so for the next few days I need to behave myself! Still I am grateful for all that I have learned about weight loss in the past couple of years. If ONLY I had known about intermittent fasting for so many years! For me, its really the only way to go!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    Yeah those smells can trigger hunger when there really isn't any for me as well. I am almost two years at maintenance and I too wish I had found my WOE and fasting protocols before. Just so very thankful I finally found them. Hope the scale is kind to you on weigh in day.