Lighter Side Cafe - March 4 - 10

Good morning all. Slept well and woke up refreshed. Coffee is brewing and I'm waiting to pour my first cup There isn't anything quite as good as that first sip

Pam you were a busy camper yesterday. Glad you enjoyed Covert Affairs via Amazon Prime. A neighbor of ours is watching that and also enjoying.

Today I do plan on going to my weight watchers place to weigh in. My wii is lookin' good. I'll add a # or two as my meeting isn't until later in the day and be done with it for the month.

Coffee is ready and so am I. Will CBL

Judy I just checked and our real feel is 6!!!! I walked to pick up the mail and that's it for me. Only time I plan on leaving the house is to do my drive by weigh in for 4:30 stop to pick up a bottle of vino to go with our pasta for supper and come back home.

Judy I remember that book well. I think I'd enjoy it now as well.

Enjoy being beautified. I used to have grey but all the radiation turned it to white!!!! TG for Enzo lol.

Hi all and TGIF. I lost my post again. Sheesh! Ann, congrats on the loss!! Woot! Woot! Your ability to maintain is so admirable!

We are off to NJ tomorrow for our DDIL's shower. It'll be a quick turnaround as we plan to return on Sunday night -weather permitting. Now I am hearing snow here in MA for Sunday. Sheesh! But, it is supposed to be over by the time we would leave so I'll let DH make the call. I am off on Monday no matter what.

I had Special K for my breakfast and just polished off my work snack of a rice cake topped with Laughing Cow light and sprinkled with Trader Joe's everything but the bagel seasoning for 2 pts. I love that snack!
Lunch is a little frozen meal as I did not have time or ingredients to pack a salad or sandwich. Sometimes I get tired of salads so I need to mix it up.

Have a great day all. I may be out of touch for a day or so traveling. TTFN!

Sue, I hope all is okay...haven't seen you this week! 

Good Afternoon, WW Friends ~

My week just flew by.  I ended up grilling chicken breast tenders and turkey burger patties Monday afternoon, as well as doing laundry.  Tuesday I worked late subbing in a classroom and then got home tired!  We had supper all planned (leftover hamburger pie with salad) so it was a no-brainer.  Wednesday I went right from school to Sam's Club and filled my cart with the necessary items, plus a rotisserie chicken.  I skinned and deboned it then roasted some fresh asparagus and cooked Uncle Ben's Ready Rice for a great supper!

Thursday was our busy day because DH had an appointment at the cardiology office.  When he got there, his cardiologist was not in ( he had missed the call) and so he waited to be seen for an EKG and physician.  When we went to the Urgent Care a couple weeks ago (for upper respiratory infection) the doc there said he had a-fib and since that was a new finding, he opted to see his own cardiologist (of many years).  He went that Monday for a blood draw (and took his EKG) and then got a call that the doctor wanted to see him the next week on Thursday.  Well since his doc wasn't there, he saw a "new guy" who really impressed him - and the office scheduled him for a 2-D Echo on the 18th.  When I got home he filled me in (he actually remembered everything!) and I only added that we needed to make an appointment with HIS cardiologist before moving forward - and he totally agreed!  So we made him an appointment for April 4th.  His BP and heart rate and INR were all normal so we were not unduly concerned.  It was a relief to have that all taken care of!

Then I had my follow-up appointment with our PCP.  He had the notes from our Urgent Care visit and I was able to fill him on DH's follow-up with the cardiology office and he was in complete agreement with all. He checked me and my lungs are clear (though I still cough).  He said this thing going around this winter is sometimes taking six weeks for all symptoms to clear even after adequate treatment. He did prescribe an additional antihistamine nasal spray which he ordered from my pharmacy.  They called me last night with a recorded message that it was out of stock and they will call me when it comes in. I felt relieved at the end of yesterday after so much "up in the air" the past couple of weeks.

I didn't get home until late so we took ourselves out to Red Lobster for dinner. They are having Lobster Fest but neither one of us wanted to eat that heavy.  We each had a Caesar salad, shared an appetizer of shrimp, coconut shrimp & seafood stuffed mushrooms; then a lobster pizza (app).  Unfortunately the pizza was not crispy so we sent it back once and it still came out sub-par, so we probably won't try that again. To add insult to injury (or vice versa) it upset my stomach and I fought with heart burn all night and didn't sleep well so I was tired and dragging today. And I had so looked forward to a good night's sleep.

Tonight we are going to DH's VBF's house for dinner. I met my work partner for a light lunch and that was fun. She was anxious to hear all about our doctor appointments yesterday so we got caught up.  I always enjoy relaxed time with her.  She is delightful and we get along so well.

I packed all the snowmen and snowflake pillows away today and set out some decor in Spring colors and it brightened up the room considerably.  The living room was the last snowman hold out and now it is done.
Tomorrow is a free day for me which I am looking forward to. My latest book has sat aside for so long that I had to restart it yesterday at the doctor's office.

Ann ~ I totally agree about that first cup of coffee. I love getting up early and sitting in my recliner with my blanket and a cup of coffee and my tablet. I may play word games, or read the paper, depending on my mood, but that is a very special time for me.

Pam ~ You DID have a busy day!!  Your DH is really enjoying those DGK's and that is great! My DH was always good with (and enjoyed) the little ones in our life. 

Judy ~ I am familiar with that up and down - and you will get back on track. You really will!  I think you leave soon on a trip, right??  Have a wonderful time!!

We have to set our clocks back tomorrow night (I hate that!) and then we meet some Retrouvaille friends for lunch on Sunday.  I'm glad it is lunch instead of supper, because then we'll be home and relaxed afterward.  Next week we only have a 3-day week at school, but we get paid for the fourth day as a Floating Holiday, so it's a win-win.  Then back to school for only two weeks until Spring Break (the first week of April).  

BBL.  Make a great day!!

Good Morning, WW Friends ~

Happy Saturday!!  We are in the midst of a warm up which is more than welcome.  My "free day" has turned into putting winter things away and doing laundry and odds and ends of cleaning around here.  But it needs to be done and I'm in the mood so it's okay.  DH gave me his winter parka to wash and put away and he went back to just a winter weight Lands End jacket for work. Progress .....

Good news is he is feeling much better!  Before we went to Urgent Care, he was so crabby I worried that he was turning into a grumpy old man.  But I know not feeling well can do that to one.  Now that he's been treated and also followed up with his cardiology office, he is back to his usual fun-loving self!!  I am also feeling much better. I am waiting to hear from the pharmacy about my new Rx. I called them this morning and it is supposed to come in on today's order so I am waiting for a call from them. Perhaps that will help shorten the lingering symptoms of cough and runny nose.

We had a GREAT time last night!!  We hadn't seen the boxer contingent for waaaay too long and they let us know!  But we went for the whole evening so everyone got their full share of attention and lovin' from both of us. Also DH's VBF's DD was home from college so they were excited about her too.  He made a great supper of chicken parmesan (with marinated, grilled chicken breasts) and it was delicious!! He also sent home tons of leftovers with us.  Now we have a fridge full of food, so I need to freeze some today.  Between my grilling on Monday and then rotisserie chicken on Wednesday and I already had some turkey breast, now we have more leftovers.  We are planning to go out for Walleye Wednesday at a local restaurant this week, then we'll go out for (our traditional) corned beef and cabbage dinner on Sunday (St. Patrick's Day).  That will produce even more leftovers (oh my!).

I think tonight we'll have a big salad garnished with rotisserie chicken breast.  I am eating lighter today because my scale is up a bit - but that could be because of the prepared food night before last too.  I'll be mindful for the next couple of days.  Tomorrow we are going to Red Robin to meet Retrouvaille friends, so I will have to have one of their fantastic burgers!!  I have some homemade venison chili (from DH's VBF) for supper tomorrow night.  Planning is all that is going to save me.  We had a half orange, small slice of Seeduction toast and HB egg this morning.  Also, I have been doing 30 reps on my Power Rider downstairs every time I go down to change a load of laundry.  Later I will take my Kindle app down and read while I ride the bike.

Time to go switch.  BBL.  Make a great day!!

Good Morning, WW Friends ~

Happy Sunday!! and welcome to DST.  I changed most of our clocks yesterday and last night.  We went to bed at 9 p.m. (DST 10 pm) to get back on a schedule. I woke around 6:30 and finally crawled out at almost 7. So did DH. This is my most comfortable routine and I seem to struggle somewhat during the four months that the time is out of sync with my body clock.  Oh how I wish they'd just leave it alone.

I got lots done yesterday, and even so there were things that got left undone. Oh well, I have another day off on Thursday so I'll hit it again then.  I got several reps done on the Power Rider but ran out of steam about mid afternoon so I didn't get on the bike.  I had Alexa playing The Carpenters on Amazon Music and read my book in my recliner instead.  My Rx finally came and I went to Meijer to pick it up. I took the first dose and it really seemed to make a difference.  It is a twice a day dosage so I will no doubt feel it more today.

Our salads were great last night.  DH opted not to go anywhere to watch the MSU/UofM game after all, but we watched Dateline and he followed it on gamecast on his tablet.  We went to bed at half time, so he got up in the middle of the night to check the score and his team (MSU) won so he is a happy camper!!We had a light breakfast of half an orange and Seeduction toast since we are going out to lunch.

The kitchen is cleaned up, the bed is made, the clocks are all changed (except the one that only DH can reach) so I am going to sit in my chair for a few minutes before I get in the shower and get ready for the day.

BBL.  Make a great day!!

Good Sunday to all!

Goodness! I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted! I think this daily hospice work is kicking my butt, lol. In addition to that, I have been trying to kick things up a notch during Lent and attend some extra services.

Thursday I made a hospice visit to the patient who grew up here. I took some of my dad's old photographs and that spurred him to remember and recount his own memories. A "life review" is an important part of what hospice volunteers do. An average visit with this man is at least 90 minutes, so I have to allot plenty of time in addition to 30+ minutes travel each way. I got quite a bit of office work done afterwards, but it made for another late lunch. I went to confession, Mass and a Catholic Daughter meeting in the afternoon/evening.

Friday is my WI day and I was gratified to see my careful planning, tracking and measuring of portions paid off. I dropped 3 1/2 lbs.!!! I spent an hour in adoration at church, then immediately after I rode with DH to the prosthetics place to order some extra inserts and shoes. Apparently, he'll have to wait a month or so to order the shoes, so Medicare will cover them. Afterwards, we went to my favorite Greek/Lebanese restaurant, but since it was Friday, I skipped my usual shawarma combo and had crab-stuffed flounder. As usual, I ate 1/2 and brought half home. While I went to Benediction and Way of the Cross, DH made seafood pies with crab, shrimp and crawfish for dinner. Very point-y, but delicious! Between the restaurant meal and the pies, I used up a good many points, so will have to be very careful this week. And of course, the scale took a bounce upward as a result of the seafood and restaurant seasoning.

Yesterday was warm and partly sunny, so I tackled the really bad winter weeds in some of my flower beds. I also cut back the lantana, which were way overgrown. They are so prickly, I had to wear gloves and long sleeves and got quite warm. By the time I got it all cleaned up, I had worked nearly 4 hours with a short water break in the middle. My left wrist didn't care for all the work with the manual clippers and let me know about it the remainder of the evening. By the time I got a shower, made fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner, then cleaned the kitchen with DH's help, I was pooped. Of course, with the time change, an early bedtime was good for me.

Today, I am being lazy. We went to Mass and Coffee Call, where I indulged in a biscuit & butter for breakfast. Lunch will be homemade chicken noodle soup and a salad. DH is making Italian-style stuffed zucchini for dinner, which we will pair with sauteed cabbage and garlic bread topped with olive salad for the starch. At 4:00 I'll go to the next installment of our bible study film and discussion.

Judy, we are not quite walking distance from the river, but just a short drive. Our village is situated against one levee and actually had to be moved once in the mid 1800's, when the river changed course, so the original town is now IN the river. That was way back when, before the spillway system was built in the early 1950's. When the river is high, like now, it overflows and spreads into what is known as the "forebay", the area on the river side of the spillway bridge & gates. When the gates are opened, the water flows into a large, open spillway. When the river is low and the gates are closed, the forebay and spillway are used for farmland, cattle-grazing, hunting, etc. so opening the gates means crops get drowned and cattle have to be moved, hunting camps flood and those people affected complain. The rest of us say, "What did you think "spillway" meant?" They gamble and most of the time win, but not always.

The floodgates have only been opened twice so far, in 1973 and 2011. I was glad my dad lived to see it, as he worked for the Corps of Engineers, both in building the Morganza and other structures, but also monitoring the river stages, levees and other structures to spot any signs of trouble. If you told him the river level at Cairo, IL or Vicksburg, MS, he could tell you the level at the Red River-Missippi River junction, Morganza, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. We were watching the news together in early 2011 when they were interviewing the governor and other officials about whether or not the floodgates would be opened. They were "studying" the issue and a decision would be made later. My dad laughed and said, "They can study all they want, but if the river's already at the level they say in Cairo, they'll open those gates or the water will come over the top of the gates." He was right. The river stages are posted in the newspaper here and when he could no longer see due to macular degeneration, someone had to read the levels to him each day.

Here's some info and videos of the 2011 opening for any who are interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morganza_Spillway, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqp8R-xv8jE and www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vdVABz_Gzw

Ann - I hope things warm up for you soon. All that snow will eventually melt and make it's way down here as river. Meanwhile, stay inside where it's cozy and warm.

Sue - I know the boxers were happy to see you! I know my sister's boxer, Captain, makes me feel great whenever I visit. Lucky you, having all that food already cooked and just waiting! I'm glad you and your DH are finally on the mend.

Judy- I hope the shower was fun and your trip home is safe. You were smart to schedule a day off to relax and regroup.

Have a peaceful day of rest!