WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR DECEMBER 2024

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Replies

  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,901 Member
    Heather - I hope the wind doesn’t knock your antennae down or do any damage.
    We are both spending a day with our granddaughter’s.
    Michaela may end up being here longer than expected, we are to get freezing rain this afternoon and snow over night.

    Lanette - I find Walmart has really gone down hill the last few years, unfortunately all the other businesses have closed because of them, and now they’re the only department store around.
    I think Michaela and I will head there this morning though for some snacks before the weather comes in.

    Kylia - hopefully everyone gets better in your business. Is there not other mechanics you can hire? It doesn’t sound like he is much help for you.

    Machka - I’m a barefoot person too. So is Michaela. She was funny last night, sitting here and she hadn’t taken her socks off. She said I normally come in the door after school and throw my socks down the basement stairs.

    Margaret - how nice to have a plate with your church on it. Michaela hasn’t grown up watching Rudolph every year like we did. She really enjoyed it. I should try to find A Charlie Brown Christmas for her.

    Barbie - my Dad was a “helpful” driver too. In Sept 2012 I was visiting and he had an accident caused by blacking out from coughing. He decided to quit driving. I had to drive him one day and he started telling me I wasn’t backing out of a parking space properly. He was quite frustrated with me. I was equally as frustrated with him. I put the car in drive pulled back into the space and told him he had taught me to drive almost 30 years before that and he should trust me. He apologized for the argument a couple of months later when he was in the hospital.

    Diana - I had to look up where Padre Island was. It looks beautiful.

    Rebecca - You inspired me last year with your jewelry tree and after Christmas I made one for my girls and I. I used the green velvet that was my grandmother’s wedding dress and mostly her jewelry, but I did add some pieces of my wedding dress as well. It was a project I had wanted to do for years, but the style I was looking at wasn’t working for me. Yours did.
    I wish they could find a cure for snoring. They have a lot of gadgets that claim they can eradicate it but none of them work.

    Allie - What a cute picture of Delia.

    Heather - I think the memories that are evoked when you drink your hot chocolate out of those cups will be worth it.

    Terri - that tree looks huge. Hope your DH is successful in taking it down.

    Barbara - I hope all of your water issues are resolved soon. What a pain, when things don’t work as they should.

    Lisa - What a great thing to get a favoured activity back! I hope it lasts for a long time!

    Rita - that is a big commitment for you, I hope your son follows through. We have our son in law and grandson on our plan too. Our daughter pays us each month. I usually let her off without it at Christmas though.

    Michaela is still here, she is watching one of those “finding Sasquatch” shows my DH had on. He left the room 15 minutes ago. She chose to leave it on while she ate her breakfast.

    It rained, then snowed last evening, her Mom is coming to get her today and using my Cricut to make their family Christmas pj shirts.

    Today we decorated the tree, the windows and my bathroom. A couple little things to finish off tomorrow, but other than that I’m done.

    Michaela worked very hard right beside me, giving me her input and opinions..
    I’ll post a couple of pictures.
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    I’m watching a Christmas movie on Netflix called “Christmas at Mistletoe Farm”. It’s quite fun so far. Not a Hallmark type movie, more family oriented.

    Tomorrow I have to do some work in the craftroom. I have a few things to work on that I need to get done for work and for Christmas.

    Tracey in Edmonton





    Oh your jewelry tree sounds marvelous! I love the vintage velvet from the wedding dress! When we made ours it was very time consuming because we just had Elmers glue so lots of pressing and holding the jewelry pieces! But now with a hot glue gun, its a fairly simple project. I have added so much extra stuff on mine, its kind of lost its tree shape at the bottom ah well.💖👍🏼
    Rebecca
    Whidbey
    Wa
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,901 Member
    Rebecca I use the bandage tape that is about an inch wide. I just cut off about a inch and tape it across the middle of my mouth. I don't tape it all the way across my mouth. In the morning I take it off and adhere it to the top of the roll container. As long as I am not sick I can reuse it a couple of days so it is not that expensive to use. The breathe right strips are more costly but I get $75 every six months from my supplemental insurance to pay for this kind of health aid. Also I watch for when you buy one and get 50% off the second box. Then it cost me about $7 a month for the strips. So insurance is paying for these. It is nice to get something from insurance that is pro-active for my health. I can also buy the medical tape with this program too. I find I don't have to buy this tape very often because I use so little of it. Then I have enough money left to buy my Epson salts that I like to use. I would buy these products without insurance because using them is helping me to stay healthy.

    I lived how expensive it was to treat my husband's cancer and how miserable he was going through those treatments. I realize I can try my best to improve my health and still get sick. I just want to do what I can to make my odds better to stay healthy for as long as I can because my quality of life is so much better!

    Well your insurance supplemental option sounds very smart! I will look into bandage tape.👍🏼 And the strips. Thanks for the imput!
    Hugs!
    Rebecca
    Whidbey
    Wa
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,255 Member
    :) 📚about books I like books in a series with the same characters developing and relating to each aother over time like Sue Grafton's A-Z or many of the cozy mystery series. Thus I am usually searching for a specific book and like to have a huge database to search. Other people like to search the shelves for something that might look interesting. The library and paperback swap allow me to search for exactly what I'm looking for.

    📚🌞💕Barbie in NW WA
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,901 Member
    Tracey - your Christmas villages are just stunning! Everything is! <3 Please remind me - you leave all the decorations up until after the first of the year, right? Are you allowed to decorate at your workplace?

    Debbie - I'm glad you are hundreds of miles away from me, otherwise I might have to stop in, lol. ;) What does your mom do with her share?

    Mo - you got me inspired to start cleaning out my bookcases and removing books for donation that I know I'll never read again. But with T's news that thrift shops aren't taking anything except clothing right now, not even books, I'm stalled. I can't just throw them away. :( . Hopefully things will improve after Christmas and they'll welcome books again along with other items. I'm starting to get a pile of things on the bed in the guestroom.

    Kylia - You and I are on the same page with re-starting the water drinking. And the de-cluttering thoughts! Hope your work week goes smoothly. <3

    Lisa - I could feel your excitement at finding the "perfect place." DH and I used to take little drives and do the very same thing. :p Loved spending time talking about houses and little farms we liked and planning what we'd do the places, what our lives would be like. Some of my favorite memories. I still tend to do that, tho my next move will be closer to town.

    Margaret and Rebecca - the book "Breath" by James Nestor gives tips on mouth taping, as Margaret has mentioned in the past. If my sinuses are acting up at night, which is often, nose-breathing at night is tough to do - though I've been successful nose breathing when sleeping in the recliner so my head is elevated a little. I've tried all kinds of tapes, too. The ones strong enough to keep my lips together tend to take off skin anyhow. :p My DH used those nose strips successfully to help with his snoring. But he had tougher skin than me and didn't remove a layer when he took it off in the morning. During the day I am conscious of my breathing and nose-breathe as much as possible when my sinuses clear out after a couple cups of coffee. My drug of choice! :D .

    Heather - love those cups you bought, I know you'll enjoy using them. "Vintage" from the 1970's caught my attention. Why, that wasn't very long ago, right? It's finally dawning on me that I was born "mid-century" in the 1900's. I'll soon be lumped in with the generations who plowed with mules and used kerosene lanterns, no telephones, no electricity and all that. We certainly didn't grow up with cell phones and computers and we played outside and actually talked to people, lol. :p

    But I'm very grateful for computers and the internet - no chance of me being lonely, even though I live alone, when I have friendships with people all over the planet. How lucky to be born and raised in the "old ways" but I get to take advantage of the "new ways."

    I took the old Camry for a spin yesterday to try out the new battery. Of course, it worked fine. I need to reprogram the radio and reset the clock. Some YouTube shorts came up interviewing mechanics about the best older cars, and 2004 to 2009 Toyota Camrys and Corolla's came up in the top 3 in all of them. Hope they are correct. Also, one mentioned that Subaru's prior to 2009, (if I'm remembering right) could be problematic because of the leaking head gasket. Yep, I agree. I see a teensy drip now and then on the cardboard I keep under the car. One mechanic said if older cars valued at $6,000, let's say, are in otherwise good shape - no rust, etc., it can be worth it to spend several thousand $$ on major repairs to keep them going for a long time as opposed to getting rid of them and buying something newer which might come with its own set of problems.

    I need to work on the grocery list - heading out at daybreak to get some shopping done.

    Make it a fabulous week! <3

    Lanette B)
    SW WA State



    I just reserved that book! Thanks for the info.👍🏼 I do not like having a dry mouth and throat when I wake up at night! I suppose my doctor might ask me to do a sleep study to make sure I don't have sleep apnea. Husband says he's listened to me and I don't ever stop breathing. Sometimes he says its not really snoring but just breathing louder.
    Rebecca
    Whidbey
    Wa
  • Whidislander
    Whidislander Posts: 3,901 Member
    Hey Y’All! :)

    Margaretturk – Just re-read She Is Fire and took it to heart! Over the years I have read it several times and it always makes sense.

    RVRita – Please listen to Kim regarding getting DH help if for no other reason than your own safety. I understand ongoing pain can take a toil on mental health. So just keep trying and continue with your own therapy. I take issue with that old saying “you never get more than you can handle.” People typically rephrase to “God will never give you more than you can handle.” I think as long as the world is spinning we will have people willing to add their burdens to ours. Wish I had somebody to give my burdens to and have them solve them. It is up to us to make a decision as to how much of other people’s garbage are we willing to allow in our trashcans. I collapsed and was out for 2 months. Guess what, the world kept spinning and those I felt so compelled to loan to/advise/counsel/caution, etc. had to figure it out for themselves. <3 AND they survived too!

    Rebecca: Absolutely love your Jewelry Tree!

    Terri – Your Christmas Cactus is beautiful.

    Tere in Chester VA

    Thanks, my Momma and I had fun organizing them. Giving the same amount of grandparents earrings to each of us. I got my maternal grandmothers church going earrings.💖. I also got a Japanese coin from my fathers stuff dated during WWII, and I have a coin from when we were stationed there. Also my paternal grandmother's medallion necklace, my confirmation necklace locket with my Moms photo in it, and a locket from my middle son with his photo in it. He bought the locket using his own money at a school Christmas store of things kids could afford etc. Painfully sweet😁💖.
    Rebecca
    Whidbey
    Wa
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,705 Member
    edited December 9
    MFP Weekly Check-In for December 9, 2024

    Rita in Roswell NM- Up 4 pounds this last month, up 1.5 pounds since last week. This reflects my emotional eating lately. See this makes me more determined to get back on track. But on the good side, I’m down from my all time high of 210, and still down from 2 pounds from 6 months ago! All good things!

    Barbara on the Southern Oregon Coast - Thankful, WT Sunday down to 129.2 from 130.3 4th day in the 12xs, yay!. Weekly average down to 130.0 from 130.7. Weekly average steps 5528 way short of goal 7778. BB&B twice, line dancing 3 times, dog group once. CI too close to CO and sugar over goal too many times. AF, PT & Zumba still more of an intention than an actuality.

    Lanette SW WA State – Weight still holding steady, between 158 – 159 all week. Daily step average increased to 7335, thanks to 15-minute house walk after every meal (up from 10 minutes) plus a couple “Walmart walks”. Still delaying breakfast 16 or more hours a couple times per week, otherwise it's usually a 12 - 14 hour "fast."
  • SophieRosieMom
    SophieRosieMom Posts: 3,705 Member
    Ladies - here's a film I want to watch. It's been decades since I first saw it. "Westward the Women"

    A glimpse on Facebook:

    https://www.facebook.com/reel/2336975900028757

    Barbie - I just started to read "The Authenticity Project" by Clare Pooley. Looks very good! Thanks for the suggestion.

    Lanette
  • LisaInArkansas
    LisaInArkansas Posts: 2,954 Member
    Mo - I'm genuinely amazed by how much of your heart you give to these kids--It always makes me think of a quote from one of my favorite authors: "Love doesn't divide, it multiplies." <3
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,294 Member
    It did take a while to get used to mouth taping...I do not tape the whole mouth only a small piece in the center. I can still talk not well and in a pinch could take some air in through my mouth. The goal is to breathe as much through my nose as I can because of the health benefits. I have a friend who uses a C-Pap machine and she uses a chin strap to encourage nose breathing. I think that is even more aggressive than what I do.
  • dlfk202000
    dlfk202000 Posts: 3,269 Member
    kymarai wrote: »

    Debbie Yummy! I am not even sure if I will make Christmas cookies this year. We don't really need them for our health and weight. The grands are too busy to come anymore to help (being teenagers and one adult). So it is not high on the to do list.

    Lisa What a wonderful day for you! I am so happy for you!

    I should get off here. Work to head to today. Am taking off Friday and Saturday this week. Need to get cards in the mail NLT Thursday!

    Much love to you all!
    Kylia in Ohio meeting water drinking goals three days in a row!

    the recipes I use for most of the things are very simple with simple ingredients and actual work time is short. The caramel corn is just brown sugar/butter/corn syrup- boil for 5 min and pour over popped popcorn and peanuts then bake an hour(stirring every 15 min)

    The fudge is choc. chips, sweetened condensed milk and a little butter or coconut oil and what ever you want to add to it- I have so much fun coming up with new combinations. I have made close to 20 different kinds over the past few years. Each year something new.

    The cracker toffee is just boil butter and brown sugar for 3 min, pour over crackers and bake for 5 min then when still hot, put choc chips over and spread when they are melted. Top with any kinds of nuts or what ever you choose(some ideas are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, unsweetened or sweetend shredded coconut, mini m&m's)
  • dlfk202000
    dlfk202000 Posts: 3,269 Member
    pipcd34 wrote: »
    dlfk202000 wrote: »
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    Back home. Half the treats stayed at mom's, half came home with me.
    I will do more this week.
    6 batches of caramel corn, three cracker toffee, two kinds of fudge and two batches of peanut clusters

    Mmmmmmmm, I want some

    recipes are very simple- I can share them if you would like. They are quick and easy to make
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,360 Member
    Stat for the day-

    Walk w/family- 2hrs 2min 46sec, 109elev, 2.60ap, 80ahr, 103mhr, 13856steps, 5.51mi= 576c
    Strava app = 667c

  • dlfk202000
    dlfk202000 Posts: 3,269 Member
    edited December 10
    [
    Debbie - I'm glad you are hundreds of miles away from me, otherwise I might have to stop in, lol. ;) What does your mom do with her share?

    [
    Lanette B)
    SW WA State



    If you lived closer, I would have you come help us make it!!!
    Mom has friends that she shares with. She used to a lot more but has really cut back.
    I will try and get a few more batches of things done for her along with mine this week.
    We will be up there on Saturday. We are doing a craft fair up there in my hometown so we will stop by there before heading home. I signed her up to do a table but doubting now if she will have any of her gourd night lights done. If she does, great, if not, we will just take her table space. Six feet really isn't enough for us. If she does have some, we can still use some of her space. I told her to have them setting out for me and we will stop by on our way and pick them up, set them up, and when she is done working at the food bank/food program, she can come on over. Then she won't have to miss out on either one.
    It will be food for her to get out- she was born and raised in the little town so this will be a good way to get to chat with old friends.


    I make a lot because I give little boxes of them along with a gift(this year it is fuzzy socks and a little candle and a few little things like chap stick) to each of the people at Zumba. The two guys in class will get something else, I give a big tray to my neighbors and a big box goes to my former hubby and a smaller one to his parents and both brothers.
    I also have a few other friends here in town that get a nice tray of them. I got the Bento trays that Amazon carries(got them at Black Friday) that have like 8 small compartments.

    I need to pick up a few things- I had forgotten about the Christmas nougat- so simple and so good- like the Brach's white w/the colored pieces in it. The hardest part on that is cutting up the Dots/gumdrops. Just marshmellows and white chocolate.
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 3,074 Member
    <3
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,692 Member
    I've downloaded an app that let's you read thousands of magazines on your devices. I have two free months before I cancel. :D I will make the most of it. I've put in my diary when to cancel in February.

    Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

    I've just discovered that I've got access to heaps of magazines through Libby for free. It says, "Your library has thousands of magazines with no wait lists, no loan limits, and no due dates." If I can access Libby over here, you might be able to access Libby there. A year ago, Libby in Australia didn't have much to offer but the selection has improved. I had tried searching for authors people suggested a year ago without much luck, but now I'm finding them.

    It still seems strange to me, after all the years that I've been on this thread, that cookies are a thing at Christmas! It feels like it is the last thing you would want to eat with all the other delicious food.
    Here it's mince pies everywhere. I don't really like them. :s In France the ubiquitous thing is oysters! A stall on every street.
    In many places in Europe it's mulled wine. Gingerbread.

    Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx

    Yes, the cookie thing kind of amazes me too. Cookies (actually biscuits) are what you might have with tea in an evening. They're an everyday kind of thing.

    Here, we've got mince tarts of all sorts, fruitcake, Christmas pudding, pavlovas, cherries, mangos ... and occasionally gingerbread.

    The only cookie that appears at Christmas are shortbread cookies.

    Small quantities of chocolates (like a little baggie with 4-6 chocolates) may be exchanged between work colleagues, etc., and sometimes people will give a Christmas hamper as the Christmas gift (example in picture below), but people don't tend to make cookies or large trays of sweets for each other.

    https://tasmaniangourmetgifts.com.au/product-category/christmas-hampers/
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    In December, we add a few mince tarts and shortbread cookies to the grocery list, and we usually have a pavlova or two during the Christmas week.


    Regarding taping your mouth shut at night, just the thought of it makes me twitch. I can't wear necklaces, scarves, turtlenecks, or even a round-necked shirt. They all make me feel as if I'm unable to breathe. Throw in mild claustrophobia, and just the thought of taping my mouth shut gives me nightmares.

    Love y'all!
    Lisa in AR

    100%!! You said it!!


    I had another dental appointment this afternoon to replace two old metal fillings with whatever the new material is. This set of replacements was triggered by the fact that in grinding my teeth, I broke a metal filling and cracked another tooth.

    I think I've mentioned this, but when I was 17, a well-meaning but misguided dentist decided to fill all my molars with these metal fillings. Unfortunately, as the years have gone by, my teeth have shifted and since the metal fillings are so solid, when the teeth have shifted, they have cracked. Add to that the fact that I grind my teeth and there has been more cracking. And cycling ultra-long distances can lead to calcium loss which doesn't help matters.

    But I rarely have cavities!

    Poerava14 wrote: »
    I'm a happily converted nose breather. I adopted nose breathing during exercise (except for swimming), which is a challenge. Won't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. During the summer Olympics the women who won the gold for the sprints both breathed through their nose for the entire race. I also use nose breathing to breathe through pain, like someone providing a deep massage. I send the breath to the pain or stiffness and release with the exhalation. Takes practice, but trust me, it works.

    Rori
    Colorado Foothills

    I've always been a nose breather (except for exerting myself cycling or running), despite the fact that I lived with a badly deviated septum for most of my life, blocking about 2/3 of my nasal passages. I hate colds that force me to breathe through my mouth!! When I had my deviated septum fixed, my nose was all blocked up with "spoons" and bandaging for about a week and I was incredibly miserable all week having to breathe through my mouth.

    Since having my deviated septum straightened, I have been able to breathe through my nose during some exertion ... so exciting! I couldn't do that before. Now I feel like I can get air in when I climb hills or ride faster!

    I also use nose breathing for box breathing and the "Physiological Sigh" which I use to calm myself and breathe through pain.

    At night, I'm guessing I spend a certain portion of the night with my mouth closed given that I grind my teeth, but it's possible my mouth is open some of the time. I'm OK with that. :)


    Tracey ... your decorations are gorgeous!!


    Machka in Oz

  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,792 Member
    edited December 10
    Done my writing. :)

    I too love baskets. I have two in the kitchen, on a higher cupboard, which we use for fruit, and onions and garlic. They are thick, handmade wicker. The circular one, I bought on Inishmore, a small island of the coast of Ireland, from an old man sitting making them in the drizzle by the side of a drystone wall. I love it. It's only now I realise that he had his USP down perfectly! :p
    I really did think the one I bought yesterday was the traditional Finnish birch bark, but it is lighter in weight and doesn't smell the same. Good dupe though! I bought one years ago, with a handle from the Finnish Centre in London that I belonged to, and it was expensive, so I should have realised. (I had a Finnish friend who had a child the same age as my eldest. Plus we went to Finland for a month. I had a full on Finnish phase in my life.) I still like the basket very much, but there is a little disappointment. Objects are very evocative for me.
    Funny that I went to the new Scandi shop and only bought the shop fittings! :p Plus the stick of liquorice.
    I also have a lovely handmade waste-paper wicker basket in the living room, and a commercially made one in my bedroom.

    Bea pick up today. My son came round yesterday morning to get our spare key as he had given his to Edie to get in after school. ;) I made him swear he would be at home today to let us in!

    Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,692 Member
    I'm enjoying seeing all your decorations. I have been taking photos of mine but haven't got any ready to post yet. The last 2 evenings, I've finally had a bit of time to decorate. :)


    I finally found a good hand brace that's both supportive and comfortable. I have seen my X-rays but have not received the report. I am not trained at reading X-rays but I doubt that my hand is broken. Probably just sprained. Still quite painful.
    dieytu8j9pz0.png


    At work, I'm tearing apart someone's mess of an Access database in order to rebuild it as a SQL Server database. Ideally, it should be done before Christmas so I can produce a report from it right after Christmas.


    And at home, today we had someone give us a quote on sunscreen blinds so that we'll have double blinds on the 3 windows that face west and get a lot of sun. We've had to move quite quickly on that because our place gets a lot of sun!!


    Machka in Oz
  • LisaInArkansas
    LisaInArkansas Posts: 2,954 Member
    edited December 10
    Good morning, my chicks,

    Margaret - I should have prefaced that paragraph with the thought that I have tremendous respect for your dedication to your health, because I do. Mouth taping is one of many things that are physically, mentally or emotionally far past my ability to even try. I'm OK with that. I also won't ride a bike anymore - but I was always wobbly on them, and the medications I take make it a no-go. One of the things I love about this group is that we can all find our unique ways to health by borrowing what is right for us from each other, and not feeling we must all go down one path.

    Heather and Tracey - At first thought, I couldn't think of anything that I treasure like the two of you do. It's only when I really thought about it that I realized of course I do, and most were Mama's. I kept what she called her "photo chest," and I think it was Carol that mentioned she liked it in one of the pictures of my work room. A small lap quilt, the pillow she laid her head on her last night at home, a teddy bear. Small things, much loved. They go where I go. I still have the topper off Corey's and my wedding cake... and the dress, which I'm holding for my granddaughter at her mother's request. I tend to believe that "things" don't matter, but of course, some things just do.

    Regarding baskets - Cas, the Clutterbug, convinced me that pantry baskets are a good thing, and I've got them in there now to corral the packets and such things, but no plastic bins! Used bamboo-bottomed, wire-sided baskets that you can see exactly what's in them, and those work for me. I didn't want to play games with labels. My workroom and storage room are all boxes with lids. Got away from wicker-type baskets in the rest of the house when we moved here.

    If I go any further, this is going to turn into a novel, so I won't. Got a couple things I would like to wind up this week - the afghan for my nephew's wife is nearing completion, and Corey's workshop apron. That will let me get back to designing and building again. It's like stopping in the middle of great exertion - sometimes it's harder to get started again than you anticipate! I'd like to start the New Year building new pieces.

    Later, y'all,
    Love,
    Lisa