Best/Worse & What did I learn today..visit with friends!

Good news. Bless you. BEV

Barb, so glad to hear he is back to work!

Betty, how are you doing?

YEAH NORM!!!!

Crissy-shame on you missy-that is not enough calories in a day and not the right kind of stuff!! Shame Shame!! OK, now that I have slapped your wrist, I can help out. In the am you NEED to eat more than a banana. Add a glass of milk or an ensure shake at the very least. Switch it up, eat a bowl of oatmeal, a low fat and low sugar cereal like Special K with a sliced banana or something on it. Then about halfway through your morning eat a small something like a couple pieces of celery with a little bit of PB on them. Then you can do your lean cuisine for lunch, and eat a snack on the afternoon about halfway between lunch and dinner. Maybe a lowfat yogurt with a tblsp of granola. Then for dinner a balanced meal. It is better for you to eat a more balanced and filling lunch and then a small dinner. Since Dave isn't working right now and he cooks pretty healthy maybe he can make you some stuff for lunch?? I only say that because the preservatives in ANY frozen meal are not optimum to loosing weight. But to make sure you feel fuller more, your meals and snacks need to be more balanced. No wonder you are always hungry. Shoot for about 1200-1500 calories a day. Since the healthy way to loose weight is 1-2 lbs a week, this should do well for you. I did it for 3 mos when I lived in CA and lost about 15 lbs. Also, make sure to add in a little exercise. Like a 30 min walk in the evening.

Just trying to be helpful and really hope you take it as such:) I used to take the stuff Chris made for dinner to work the next day for lunch and have a salad or something of the like at dinner-or only ate half my dinner and took the other half to work for lunch...

you are the "bestest fairy", cuz your advice is Right On!
Crissy should eat more breakfast cuz (sing along with me) ♪♫It's the ♪most♪ important meal of the day♫♪.
And you have fasted all night while you slept (hence "break fast"). AND you have the whole day to wear it off, unlike dinnertime when you have less time until your stomach rests while sleeping!
IMHO

Hello To All !

Betty - I hope you find comfort and My thoughts and prayers are with you. I wish I were the person ahead in line... I'm sure he was an angel sent to help you in repayment for the comfort you always bring others on here... (and there as well)

Debbie - How exciting PROM! Love that DS is going "For the ladies" ! My DS was very VERY similar... I had to gently prod him to the dances. They are 'really' for the girls I find....since my girls PLAN so much for them ...but us Mama's want to see our "guys" enjoy as well...Don't we !

Stacey - I'll take all the advice you want to give ! Is there something I can eat for breakfast that provides fiber/protein that is NOT SWEET ? or not carbs? would string cheese or cottage cheese count? You can slap my wrist... I don't eat breakfast either...I tried to eat a little something when I started working out (January) but that's gone away...especially since i worked out and GAINED weight!

BEV - your asiatic lilies are GORGEOUS ! I have one little weak one in a pot... need to plant it somewhere... what does it like? Most buds just won't / didn't bloom... could that possibly be too much water from heavy afternoon thunderstorms?

ALSO - any advice from anyone on gladiolus much needed. I want to plant some.

Finally got to spend more time on the phone with Judy! YAY! I think I asked you to send 900 things.... like recipe for ribs, links to stuff.... I don't get much phone time ....mostly during afternoon traffic.... so I enjoyed a bit of time chatting!

BARB! Norm back at work! I am so excited! this is just what he needs (and what YOU need to keep him off your back !)

Well all my crazy vacations are over and it's "reality" time.... I'm looking forward to getting into a schedule. PM Thunderstorms are making the backyard come to life... more tomatoes than we can eat....and we had a zucchini a FOOT long when we got back from vaca.... (DH thinks it got too big to eat...but I'm gonna cook it anyway !)

Hugs,
Mary

zucchini bread!!! yum

Thanks for the good wishes everyone re: Norm. I'm so happy for him!!! Mary, I must admit he was the one who kept me positive through this whole time. He truly is one wonderful man and I'm so very lucky that he is mine....
Betty you and yours are in my prayers and I've thought of you so very often these last days. I'm praying that the Lord will see you through.
I'm off to clean house. Fellow quilters coming today.....

Mary, Mine are getting a lot of rain too. I don't fertilize them. Hugs Bev

betty sending you big hugs hope you can work things out.

judy sorry i missed your call cant find time to sit for a while and to top it off 4am this morning both bad dogs went after a skunk this time i saw it and couldnt hold them back omg! house wreaks once again even after de-skunking them!

hello to all thinking of you all often

Morning, rough day yesterday, still need prayers but time to look for sunshine, glum doesn't help...thank you for all of your kind words and prayers..am sure all will work for the best...will let you know once I can confide exactly what the prayers were needed for..

OMG Barb how wonderful for Norm..he must be thrilled..know it's nice being home but it's also nice to get up in the morning knowing you've a purpose!

Was up early, couldn't sleep so decided to leave early, take my time and just mellow out..came up a hill on one of the back concession and there was a family of deer, with no traffic on the road at that time of morning I came to a halt and just watched..what beautiful creatures they are...little one kept lifting it's head and would look in my direction..

Got to Canadian Tire even before they opened at 8am..browsed the plant dept but their hanging baskets and plants just were not worth purchasing so left without plants/shrubs but did purchase a metal rod iron chandelier for the gazebo..was laughing at myself, nobody ever sits there during the day let alone in the evening, why I'd need a chandelier I don't know, guess just because it would look pretty..I'll get the ladder out this afternoon and hang it.....

My minds all over the place, more than normal..lol..Canadian Tire had for $49.99 a round circle about 12" and it's a solar pump for ponds..picked it up, put it down, picked it up, put it down..think I'll go back and get it..knew I would so should have saved myself a trip..

We get off at 1:00 again this weekend, Paul's making a habit of us leaving early, we'll be disappointed when it's back to 3:00 pm...I'll call Ann to see if I can help her get things organized for Sat. morning garage sale (held at my house) still hoping for NO rain..they say by nightfall we'll have a storm blow in and it should clear by early morning so it's a wait and see thing..

Not a lot to do, yard is coming along so nicely and as usual Cathy was at the house cutting grass, saw that she had taken my raincoat and hung it outside, wonder if she cut in the rain..what a lady...I'm grateful for all her help, really am..maybe I should set up a lot of the little area tables and offer tea..could make applesauce cake ..hmm wonder how that would go over

On my way in this morning I looked at the sky, our Debbie was on an early morning flight to Florida..sure hoping that she can get some well deserve R&R...Debbie, if you check in, it was me waving....

Mary I love zuchinni bread but never made it before..should give it a try, but NOT this weekend...hard to get back into a normal routine isn't it Mary...your place is an oasis in itself so just go into your back yard, feet up and enjoy yourself..think of it as a mini holiday escape...

Great advice re the dieting girls...I do have to get back on track..Kyle came over last night to spend an hour with me..not because he's my grandson but he truly is a fine young man, we sat, talked and I gave him $$$ for pizza and chocolate bar...drats, bought me one as well and I ate it, shouldn't have but just did..so back on the wagon I go..

Susan, nice to see you post...how are things coming along for you?

Barb, you'll have to take photo's to show us what your quilting group is up to...I ordered from the quilt'n'sew sisters a pattern package today that uses the big coffee tins to make a sewing unit and carrier..will share when I get it...not sure why I did this but guess I'm almost caught up and need to be regenerated with new ideas/projects..

LindaKay, how are you feeling, know you've been ill?

Sure miss our Trisha..

Bev, sure wish you were closer to the Ohio area I'll be at end of month, I'd take a ride over just to give both you and Scotty a hug and walk those amazing gardens you have..I'm still on lookout for some marble that you have sitting here and there...hmmm know Debbie would say 'it's just a cornfield away' wouldn't she...

Tubby, haven't seen you post for a few days, are you ok sweetie...

Hope I didn't miss a 'hi' to anyone...Stacey, counting the days..got your shower gift started..that's a plus and nope, not going to tell you what it is...

Well, got to call Jeff, he's leaving for Niagara Falls this morning for 4 days of golf and relaxation..hope to catch him before he leaves...

God bless you all...

Thanks Liz, please find time to come and chat, so miss your adventures..lol.. am sure you could have done without the skunk odor..yikes..not good and if it's damp it just lingers doesn't it and no way of getting rid of it...

How's Kenny doing?

Betty that would be wonderful but it keeps raining and the weds are taking over. You have a good time now you hear??? HUGS BEV
This is one of my sunsets.

Mary-keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat so you want to keep track of your measurements just as you do your actual weight;) Hmm-non sweet for breakfast....whole grain toast with some PB on it, maybe an egg white sand on whole grain toast with a tomato, you can eat cottage cheese, but you need something else with it. I used to do the breakfast sandwich thing with 2 tbsp shredded cheese on it. One thing that it got me to do was look at portion sizes on the packages. So if we had a lean meat taco the night before, I looked at how many calories and fat for the torts, cheese, and sour cream. The book I got that had a lot of handy info was actually a diabetics guide to nutrition. It was the most helpful on portion size and all the other factual stuff. I found that a lot of fast food restaurants have the nutritional info on their sites too and that helped:)

Stacey, Paul bought me a Weight Watchers calculator..nothing like going into a restaurant or grocery aisles and keying in to find out the points per serving...

Put off about myself, wanted that Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus so badly, was going to use it every day, well did for the first couple of weeks and now there it sits..should get it out, worse part is I'm at a deadlock, can't get 1 lb. under 140..yikes...my goal was 130, still on the chubby side for this 5' gal but it's where I'm the healthiest...

Been finding that friends have been doing a lot of manual things for me like grass cutting, cleaning etc. so I do very little manual labor, that doesn't help...told Kyle last night to drop in from time to time and get me to go do the biking trail with him...

It's good to see you post Betty. You know my prayers continue.
Sounds like everyone is checking in to make sure you don't overdo. Aren't friends and family the best????
The quilting friends coming this afternoon are Mittsy from the sewing thread and her friend Judy. I'm sure you have seen all the beautiful baby quilts Mittsy and her group make. (See Mittsy's Isolettes in the sewing forum). She is here in NH for the big Keepsake Quilts sale.. So I'm off to make sure this house is company ready!!!

Betty I'm very glad you're posting and I'm still sending up prayers.

I lost 1 1/2 pounds yesterday!! Now I'm back down to my 162 that I was at 2 weeks ago, finally!!! Dave was a body builder for 20 years, plus he's been dieting for 40 years, he knows how to diet and cook accordingly. I'm following Weight Watchers, and cutting out my portions and continuous snacks is part of the deal. PB sticks to my butt big time lol! Thanks for all of the advice, but I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. Even as a kid I've never eaten breakfast and the only reason I'm eating the banana is so I eat a smaller portion of lunch, then my apple keeps me from being hungry until about an hour before dinner, and it's not going to kill me to be hungry every now and again. Some days are worse than others, and it's certainly not going to kill me to be hungry for 2 - 3 hours a day. I sit in a chair all day so I'm not burning anything, just storing it up to save for later, like a squirrel! LOL!!

OOOOOO quilt sale, I love going to those, some of the patters are just gorgeous!

Good Day Betty and Everyone.
Wow, it's a beautiful day. Betty, you started your day perfectly! So nice that you could sit and watch the deer.
funny Julia & I were just talking about deer the other day. They are beautiful and so powerful. A friend of hers hit one, it jumped into road,
Destroyed the front of his car and He was going slow...He called the police and unfortunately they had put it down.
LOL, so of course I had to tell her a story. Many years ago, we went deer hunting up on the Rez, it was November and hunting season just started. While we didn't get one, my brother was known to get many. He would then fill the family freezers. He gifted us with 2 small deer and we brought them home so Steve could Butcher them. We tied them to the top of the van. Well, a friend came over and was appalled that we had these deer. Demanded to know what we were going to do with them...Now, you know how I have a warped sense of humor, I looked at her and then the deer.
They were sorta distorted, you know cause they were dead, proceeded to look at her again in mock shock, I said I'm going to put them in the front yard with a sleigh for Christmas decoration! ROFLOL, I was making Wreaths at the time and had a couple done, so i pointed at them and said don't you think those'll be great around their necks? OMG, She thought I was insane and I was too. Finally, I came clean and told her we were going to butcher, freeze them and eat them, lol we laughed so hard, she said she believed me on the decorating thing.

How cool you get out early, maybe Paul has decided to have Summer hours! LOL, yep you should have got the solar thingie, but you know you just needed a reason to go back to Canadian Tire. hahah, they should have your own private entrance, oh but i suppose you being first in line it IS.

Waiving Hi to Debbie too, sure hope you have a wonderful vacation.

Liz...OH Gosh, sorry to hear Tux & Rainey got into trouble with the skunk, yuk...bet you are NOT a happy camper. lol them either.
Hows the move going?

Mary, did you enjoy your peaceful evening? I hope so.

Crissy, Sounds like you got the diet thing down, Drink water too to fill you up. Hope ya get to where you wanna be...I keep saying I'm going to start walking again, never do but I do keep pretty active so I think even tho i gained some weight, I am ok...at least my clothes still fit. When, they get tight then i think of loosing weight.

Barb, OMG, what fun!! I hope you, Mittsy and Judy have a wonderful time today...
And how exciting for Norm, congrats!

So I got alot more done with that little section of the yard. Weeded the entire thing, moved the firewood, AGAIN...now to put down mulch and some plantings and it will be finished, at long last!! Then i can move on to the next section. skipping along here.

Betty, i hope the rain holds out for your garage sale. Kyle is such a doll, hope you'll be able to go on bike rides together.

Hi Bev, Beautiful lilies! and i love the sunset picture too...

OK, got to go pic up Breenie, Enjoy the day every one.
Waiving Hi Stacey, hope your having a good day.
Where's Linda Kay??? Hope you are feeling better too.

I want to lose 20 more pounds.

LK went to a dr appt, the one that's 3 hours away, and spending the weekend with her grandkids. I think that's what she said anyway :)

Well everything is marked for the garage sale, sitting on my front and back deck..lordy, how come I keep wanted a lot of things she's bringing over...2 oil lamps, she put $3.00 on each, now mine, an antique lantern - takes oil, perfect I think for the patio table, then Mike came and put a large metal bakers rack, verdegris on my back deck, keep eyeing that, she want $25.00 for it, if only I had a place for it, have a black one, little smaller sitting on back cafe area so don't need it...couple of really nice flower vases and some glasses I've kept..yikes if I continue to go outside and eye things up and bring them in she'll have nothing to sell tomorrow..

Only puzzling thing to put a price on is a box of about 28 vhs(?) Walt Disney tapes for children, never opened..she left the pricing of them up to me but I have NO CLUE!!!

Stopped at Fabricland tonight, had a 50% off for members, needed to recover the cafe chair set cushions, couldn't find anything that I would ahhh/ohhh about, but did manage to recover them when I got home..bought some nice outdoor fabric, stripes and 4 cushions to cover for the table/chair set in the secret garden, came downstairs to start that project but decided it could wait until tomorrow..

Judy you just have to wonder how anybody could shoot those bambies???? perhaps in days of old when food was needed it was ok..now, just like to look at them in the wild..you not going to the cottage this weekend?

Rather tired, so think a bath, jammies and early night is called for...

Gab later

Hey Betty -- I coudn't believe it... but when we had our garage sale... I had a huge box of old VHS tapes.... loads of them...

(they weren't even the 'good' Disney ones because we had given those to friends with small children)....

So I put 10 cents on them....(basically because I put 10 cents on EVERYTHING)....woudn't you know.... they ALL SOLD.... they were the hottest items in the sale ! go figure!

Barefoot ! YOU ARE AWESOME! of course... zucchini bread! And I have made it before....I just ran and found my old recipe which is in my Grandmothers handwriting because that is her recipe...so that makes it double special to me.... SO yummy as I remember when you eat it...you think it's banana bread....

Hi Liz ! Hi Bev! Bev- so they must be okay with water? we had ANOTHER huge afternoon THunderstorm today...and Rain tomorrow....

Stacey - I think I can try the egg thing.... is the yolk THAT bad? I could boil eggs during the weekend...and eat one boiled egg in the morning on the way to work... That's the problem...it has to be "portable"....LOL! :)

Well - I'll check back in .....in a bit.... I know I've left out something....

OH: I had mentioned the "light show" from the balcony at the beach. NONE of my pics really came out well.... but this one... was the best....


Hugs,
Mary

wow....if your aren't frightened by lightning and thunder am sure you enjoyed the light show...I too love to watch, just that Sailor here is goes bezzerk as soon as the thunder starts...

Grim day out there, looks as though it will rain any second, hoping not..

LOL MARY, no wonder everything went quickly 10 cents???? can't make money to help on another trip with DH that way...

Mary-isn't that the yolk is THAT bad, just high in cholesterol.

Betty-those Disney tapes sound AWESOME!! If there was more time I'd ask which ones and have you set some aside for me. I only have a few and would LOVE more for the baby:)

I LOVE Zucchini bread. I don't think mine tastes like banana bread at all and I actually prefer it to banana bread. Each year I do baking for my family and mail it off to them (except this last year didn't have the $$), and I do 1 small loaf of each to mail as well.

I love the Wii game one that has basketball and frisbee golf and stuff on it. The first time I played I didn't realize how many muscles it used, but the next day, boy was I sore!!LOL

Judy-that story was hilarious!!

Crissy-good luck:)

Brrrrr, damp, threatening rain but so far so good...Ann managed to sell so far more than 1/2 of her goodies,I would have thought the bakers rack would have sold quickly at $20.00 but it's still here...Ann just left, has a wedding to attend in another town about 80 miles away, I said I'd keep an eye out on her treasures..have the sitting area cover close by so when I decide to call it a day I can cover things up...imagine, almost cold enough for me to turn on the heat...

Can't believe it's only after 11...feel it should be late afternoon...don't cook much on weekends but a quick trip to the grocery store for a roast might be in order...

Since I fell last year on my wrists, I have very little strength, love turnip but cutting it is a chore...yesterday while at a vegetable stand a woman was telling me to put paper towel on the microwave turntable, put your turnip on it, would say mine was mid size turnip, cook for 10 minutes, then put it on it's side and cook maybe another 6 to 8 minutes and then peel...tried it, omg the skin just pulled off as thin as thin could be..no work involved so guess who will be having a lot of turnip...yep...me!

Sure hope tomorrow's weather improves for Kyle's Ride for the Cure....

What are you all up to?

Wish I'd have seen the post Stacey before Ann sold most of the tapes..think there might be about 8 or so left..I'll go check what they are for you, if any are what you would watch I can bring them with me at the end of the month...

Stacey, ones left that are open are Tarzan, Snow White,Rescuers, Aladin, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King 2 and only 1 unopened..Hercules & Zena...all for $5.00 (want them)?

$5 each or for the whole bundle?? I love the Rescuers & Beauty and the Beast, I have Aladdin and the Lion King ones....the first 2 I said would be the only ones, but if they come in a set, are already gone or are $5 each, it's OK, no worries. I thought if they were a couple $ each...

It was $5.00 for 7 movies in total Stacey...

Afternoon everyone.

Hope your all doing well today!

I am back from the Dr, visit, and all done till next year!
Had a great visit with my kids and GK's! Got up early this morning, had breakfast at IHOP with all, then came home.

Betty, how did the sale go? Hope it made money for the trip?

Judy, Dad always hunted or fished for our meals. Love the story about the deer decorations! Too funny.

97 hear today, at 6:12 pm, looks like were in for another hot summer.

Take care everyone, sending big hugs to all, and prayers for those in need.

Thank you Stacey! Betty I think she's going to want those LOL!!

Went to an AR RU today and I am wiped out, I have just now had time to sit down for a minute. Dave wants to go out tonight but I would rather sit in the cool AC. Oh well, maybe I should go take a shower and rejuvenate.

Hello To All !

I have Zucchini Bread for all ! Please take all you want... Grandma's recipe made 2 loaves...and we've eaten 1/2 a loaf. If you want it warm... I'll put it in the microwave for a bit... it came out of the oven around 4pm. :)

I'm SO glad... DH said he LOVED it and DS did TOO! (I tried to 'trick' DS telling him it was banana bread...but somehow he was 'onto' me... )

Stacey - Yes - it is a bit different than banana bread. I guess it's been eons since I made it last.... DH says I've not made it in the 8 years we've been married....

Thank you Barefoot for the idea! That was Great !

Betty - I am usually VERY frightened of lightning since I've seen it take down a HUGE tree right after the pool was built. Funny... Katrina, RIta and Gustav (Hurricanes) ALL caused damage to the house... but that HUGE tree fell from just an afternoon thunderstorm...and ....if it had fallen EAST not WEST... it would have been devastating and possibly deadly to the family.

In a Condo with no tree's on the Beach....the lightning storm was more a way to feel the power of the Heavens in a safe arena ....very very....Hm.... "in touch with nature and God" I can't think of a better way to put it....

How do you prepare turnips Betty? I have put them in a Roast but never tried them any other way... Betty - you are right... I NEVER thought the VCR tapes would sell at all. I guess you live and learn. I mean.. we don't even have a VHS player any more! But I guess folks do.

Stacey - Please Raise your child on DISNEY! LOL. LOVE the Rescuers...remember the little mouse Bianca... LOVED that name....

Am praying for Kyle's Ride for the Cure. What a stellar young man.

The girls come home tomorrow from 2 weeks in Mississippi with DH's 'ex'. They will be emotionally and physically exhausted. I plan to cook 2 big pots of spaghetti tomorrow.... think DS will help me.... he LOVES my spaghetti.....

Today....I picked the oregano (it is really huge and almost causing a problem in the herb garden)....and basil.... and parsley... my marjoram is not really producing... Question... do I need to cut Herbs even if they are small? I wonder if that is why the Oregano is taking over... I have used it so much..... cutting it back may make it grow?????

I also have some zucchini left... I'm considering cutting it up small and putting in spaghetti....OR just slicing it up and putting it in there. DH and DS loved it sliced up in the lasagna I cooked several weeks ago.

Hugs,
Mary

Morning all, drats, pouring rain..got up late so I've had time to read your posts but must get ready for the long ride 15 kl. - I'll pay for sure as this will be my first time out, know I should have gone piking a few times, too late to worry about it now...must find some type of rain gear, gloves as last year my hands froze...

Be back after my run...

Mary-DH is a chef and for most herbs you either need to crush them or cut them to release the flavors:)

Betty-be careful and don't overdo it too much-don't want you to hurt yourself!! But I hope you have fun!!

Hope you have a good bike ride Betty. Like Stacey said, Please don't over do it. Know your limits. Bread and spaghetti sounds really good!

By the time we were setting up at 10:30 the rain had all but stopped, wind was up, kept blowing the registration tent over but what a great day for a ride!

Would say we were about 50 doing the run

From young to, ok so I was the eldest doing the ride....all agreed had the rain kept falling we were all in for the ride..

All were hungry when we returned, yikes, sold out of hamburgs so none for me, had to settle for a hot dog..

By the time all the $$$ were collected Kyle had a little over $2,900.

Kyle was a little disappointed in not beating his $3,200 from last year but still money coming in might help him reach his target...the lady from the cancer society said we'd have to work on getting Kyle a little more talkative..lol..

We no sooner got to Greg's that Roger's mom came to offer well wishes with envelopes in hand, she couldn't do the ride but had more $$$ to give...

Would say by the time all is added he'll have more than reached last years' goal..

Melanie had a nice luncheon for us all when we returned to their house..some such as Kyle lay relaxing

Other swam and some looked after sore muscles by sitting in the hot tub