Just a quick update for now. The chihuahua went to the family who was ahead of us on the list. I will keep checking. It hasn't been a good day. I never go to our basement because of mobility concerns. Today I was going to venture down there but got half way down the steps and discovered water on the basement floor. I called a plumbing company and was told they couldn't get anyone here till Monday! (Even though they claim to provide emergency services.) So I called Craig who came over and found that there is a blockage which caused water and worse to back up into the basement through the basement toilet and shower. Craig has worked as a plumber (though not officially licensed) and had access to a commercial grade snake which he used to try to open up the blockage. He was here about 6 hours and still the blockage isn't opened up. For a while he thought it was working ok, but then he found that was not the case. He will come back tomorrow morning to try a few more approaches, and then I will have to try other plumbing services to see if they can come before Monday, if Craig cannot fix the problem. Always something.

Thank you friends for your prayers and good wishes. After an exhausting 2 days, the blockage is finally open (I hope). Craig did the best he could, but the problem remained so I called a company I had never used before. The tech came at 9:30 pm on Saturday. He had it cleared by 11 pm, working outside in the dark and cold. He had been working all day and was exhausted. To my surprise, when he finished he came in and sat and chatted with us for a half hour. I think he was just too exhausted to move right away. I know I was exhausted, and I didn't do the work he did. I found the cost quite reasonable considering everything involved ($275 plus I gave him a tip). Craig is going to come tomorrow to check out the basement again and do any additional clean up that might be needed. I won't feel totally at ease with this until Craig inspects the basement. He was working at another job today (which he missed yesterday to help me), so I didn't want him to come here today to check.

Today was a very nice day for me and John, such a contrast from the previous 2 days. Today we "attended" our online church service this morning and then a Christmas concert online performed in the afternoon by a choir from an Orthodox seminary here in PA. It was very beautiful and well done. After the concert we had another online church service for the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas. Tomorrow is St. Nicholas day (and we will have church tomorrow morning too). Our custom is for children to either get a stocking of goodies filled by St. Nick or for St. Nick to leave presents in the child's shoe. I was raised with the stocking custom so that is what I kept and still keep with John. I tell him he isn't too old for this as long as I am able to provide something.

My eating has been very good. Yesterday John and I ate and drank almost nothing because we didn't want to have any bathroom issues till the problem was resolved. Talk about IF! After a while we weren't really hungry at all. Today was a normal healthy eating day. I stayed well within my WW points. I will be looking forward to my next weigh in...soon I think.

Hi everyone!
So glad your plumbing issues are resolved Paula! Yes, not having a working bathroom can cause issues for certain! Makes me even more appreciative of all my years now having “flush toilets”, lol….we had none of those when I was growing up on the farm. 👍

DW….I surely can identify with late night eating! I had NO willpower over it until starting my IF eating schedule. Now I have been able to not eat after 7:00 since September 3. Why is that? I ask myself that question but don’t have the answer. Certainly a mind over matter because nothing else has changed. 🤔

Shari….it’s good to hear you are finding ways to let yourself relax at least on Sundays…it’s good to have that stress break. I really put myself through a lot of angst over the years trying to do too much, trying “to do everything”, part of being a perfectionist. Did not serve me well sometimes and I am happier now relaxing those standards and allowing myself some (previously I viewed as lazy), “me times”.

Golf yesterday and then invited our playing partners over for drinks and snacks. I had water as I have just not had the urge to have wine lately and others all wanted beer which I have not had since I was maybe 16? Just do not care for it. Good news this morning I am down again in weight. I am now a total of 10.2 lbs lost on my IF program. I have quit recording every food I eat. I am so into eating same things over and over that I know I am in the groove calorie wise. But I am sticking to IF and weighing each day!😍

Hi Everybody! Diane, congrats on the weight loss!! Paula, so glad that your plumbing problems are fixed!! Shari, I'm glad that you are giving yourself some relaxation time!! Well, I had a huge surprise today-both packages were delivered to my son's home today-shockingly FAST!! For the past two days I've been going through storage totes of old photos, photo, albums, etc. My cousin's daughter reached out to me looking for photos of her mom, aunt and grandmother for a Christmas surprise. In many ways it was good-I pulled a ton of photos to send to my son and give to my daughter and I ran into some family tree information to pass on, but it was also sad because most of the people in the photos are gone now. I did come across some photos for my relative's project and am very happy about that! Many of them, I will be able to give her ( vs having her make copies) and be happy to have passed them on!! I am mentally and emotionally exhausted from the project so I will close..have a lovely evening!!

Good morning everyone! We arrived in MN late yesterday. Snow on the ground and,of course, it’s cold! MN in December so normal.

The afternoon before we flew out we learned of a death in the family. He was our daughter’s ex-husband, Jack, and father to our 3 grandchildren. He died in Florida. Our grandson (living in AZ) managed to get a seat on the same flight back with us and everyone has gathered now with their mom. Our grandson was his dad’s only “next of kin” so was notified of his death by the hospital. He was totally unprepared for getting that call. It is a sad time and much to be decided and many unknowns as to handling everything long distance in Florida. Quite complicated, including autopsy required and then getting his remains back to MN. Sadly, their father (age 55) had addiction issues since his teens, including pain pills and alcohol, and his death was from liver and heart failure. He was found unresponsive in his apartment and they were unable to save him at hospital. I am continuing to pray for his soul, that he may now Rest In Peace with God and his mother and father who have passed before him. And, I am praying for his children for strength and guidance and peace during the days ahead.🙏🏻

Diane, So sorry for your and your family's loss. I will add Jack to my prayers for the departed for the next 40 days as is our custom. How comforting and what a blessing that your grandson was able to fly on the same plane. I am sure you are a comfort and wonderful support to him. Glad you are safely in MN, despite the snow and cold. Hugs to you and your family.

Today is quite a lazy day for me, after a relatively busy day yesterday. I just don't have much energy today, so I am doing what I must do and not stressing over what isn't getting done. It is somewhat unseasonably cold here today, but a nice warm up is expected over the next 2 days. My eating was off course a bit yesterday. I was running some errands and wanted a break from cooking, so John and I decided to do a Taco Bell drive thru, something I haven't done in a very long time. I knew I could use my WW points by tracking the Taco Bell food. Well, it wasn't meant to be. I ordered "without onions" and got onions anyway. I just couldn't eat anything. I cannot tolerate even the slightest taste of onion. John doesn't care for onions either, but he isn't as bad as I am about it. So he ate a little bit, but we ended up eating a mixture of leftovers we had on hand instead. Lesson learned!!!! Today I am back on track and wrote a bad review on the Taco Bell survey from the receipt.

Hello to all and again thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
We have temporary hot water for the weekend. Will not detail it but is a bit of an issue that will need to be permanently fixed but not before next week. Electrician did a work around yesterday afternoon to get power to water heater. Shower felt good today!!!
We got 16” of snow yesterday afternoon and overnight….and we are not plowed out yet. Hoping to be plowed overnight tonight. I had gone to store and gotten groceries so we are fine “stuck” at home. We lost tv last evening as the snow buried our satellite dish but it has now melted or blown off enough from the roof so tonight tv should be an option again.
Wishing everyone well, I am grateful for our blessings at this season of the year and taking everything one step at a time.

I am checking in today with a little good news. I weighed in this morning and am down another pound. It is actually a pound and a few ounces, but I decided to keep focused on whole numbers for a while. So for me, I am down a consistent 5 pounds through the combination of WW and IF. I guess my recent blips didn't do the damage I anticipated. So much more to go, but no complaints with my results so far. I feel pretty good and am enjoying mostly a restful day today.

Paula…congrats on the weight loss! 5 lbs is awesome! Looks like IF with WW is a switch your body likes! Glad you are seeing such good results.

Shari…sounds like winter in Canada too…brrr. Hate to deal with ice…I am worried about falling! Be careful!

DW….you sound very organized for Christmas…I am definitely not! Feel lucky just to have hot water right now🙂

We are helping by transporting our son to medical appointments today thru Wednesday. The weather warmed some today and hope it continues while he is going through these procedures. He has a brain MRI tomorrow and I am praying for good news. Life has been extremely complicated of late.🙏🏻

Diane, Thinking of you and praying for good news for your son. So much stress for you lately!!

My day today was ok but not as solid as other recent good days. I did get a lot done again today but now feel quite tired. I am concerned that Craig has Covid. He called to tell me he is ill with symptoms such as a severe headache and his eyes hurting a great deal. Those symptoms are similar to the symptoms one of my relatives experienced when she had Covid. Craig had not had a Covid test when he called. Not sure if he is going to get tested. He hasn't been here since Dec. 6, so I feel fairly safe. But I will try to check in with him in the next few days. I am also concerned because he has asthma and smokes.....such a dangerous combination no matter what he has.

I have another busy day ahead of me tomorrow so I am going to rest now and head to bed early.

Paula so sorry Craig is ill and it might be Covid. I hope he gets tested so he knows, people he may have exposed know, and also for a timeline for quarantine if he does have it. You should be OK because he likely did not have Covid when you saw him but they say you can’t be out of woods for two weeks past possible exposure? All these time frames are hard to keep straight. Saying my prayers all will be ok for him and for you and John.🙏🏻

Answered prayers for our son. Very thankful! He does not have a pituitary tumor! His hormone levels are way off indicating a pituitary issue which is not uncommon with TBI…but they can not treat him until they ruled that tumor possibility out. He has retaken extensive blood work and is awaiting results and then he will get opinion of his endocrinologist.

Shari….good for you that you are not waiting until the New Year to keep on track! Me too! With the strange early mornings schedule we have been on and uncertain meal times I have had two days off IF…but managed not to eat after dinner at all and restarted fasting until 11:00 today. So I feel I can now get back on track and remain on track.🤞👍.

Wishing everyone good weather, good times with family during this Christmas season!❤️

HI Everybody! I was just catching up on all the communications I have missed. So far, I've nodded off while wrapping gifts each night this week. I have to wait until my husband goes to bed because I have the card table set up in the family room where he watches TV. Once he goes to bed, I start wrapping while watching TV shows that I enjoy-and then doze off. Last night I woke up around midnight with my head resting on my arms on the card table. Tonight I finished most of the wrapping and plan to take the card table down tomorrow and then start cleaning. Paula, I hope you have a wonderful visit with your family tomorrow! Shari, I am also struggling with my weight being up 3+ pounds since I started weight watchers. I think I need to combine, 17 DD, WW, and IF, and there are too many sweets and treats around right now to do that. Diane, prayers for your son!! Have a great Friday!!

Shari, I find it very difficult to clean when I am tired. I hope you gain some energy to make the cleaning go so much more smoothly. I am glad you are keeping the sabbath. For me doing so has a positive impact spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I am so sorry you are hurt by Jim's parents. I understand how painful their action can be. Good that your counseling is giving you strength and support!

DW, I am free from having to do a lot of wrapping anymore for Christmas. I tend to use gift bags as much as possible, but there are always those gifts that are not well suited for gift bags. When John was little I used to procrastinate till Christmas eve to wrap most of his gifts. It was a strain on me for sure. I hear you about the sweets all around us now. Oh my! It is a struggle now for sure. When our family visited yesterday among other things, they brought us chocolate covered pretzels made by a church "back home." And of course anything from "back home" is the best, and I caved yesterday with the pretzels.

We had a fabulous visit with our family yesterday. The boys were so much fun and very high energy. John was in his glory with the boys here. It warms my heart to see them together. They are at really fun ages and are relatively well behaved, all things considered. We got food from Panera Bread. I had the tomato soup and the tomato basil cucumber salad (all pretty healthy and very tasty). But then I indulged in the chocolate covered pretzels, so there went my attempt to stay on track. Ugh! Today the youth group from church came to sing Christmas carols, and they brought us a beautiful poinsettia. There were about 25 people ranging in age from 1 year old to a youth advisor who is in her 70s. It was so sweet and beautiful, but it really made us miss church and the beautiful people there even more. However, with all the surges again in Covid cases and my mobility issues, I am sure it will still be a while till we are back to church. I checked with Greg today, and he did go for the Covid test but hasn't gotten the results yet.