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Post by suewms on Dec 16, 2019 14:20:06 GMT
This is a place for all those in their 50's & 60’s to get together and gab. Talk about what is on your mind be it the WW'er program, family, friends, or anything you'd like to share. The Lighter Side Cafe is open 24/7....First one here please use the copy/paste method to get us going. All like-minded people are always welcome here.
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Post by suewms on Dec 16, 2019 14:21:26 GMT
Good Morning, WW Friends ~
Happy Monday!! I just noticed the Cafe wasn't open yet, so I went ahead and did it. Hopefully it won't be a duplicate!?!
I am packed up and ready for school with all my Christmas gifts safely stored in the back of my car and out of sight. I will take the first Secret Santa gift in with me today.
BBL. Make a great day!!
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Post by ann1953 on Dec 16, 2019 14:33:40 GMT
Enjoy your day Sue. Off to see the surgeon! Thanks for getting us started for the week
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Post by sunshinep396 on Dec 16, 2019 15:03:35 GMT
Good thoughts going with you, Ann. Have a great day, Sue! Waving at Judy. I'm off to church to help with Christmas decorations.
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Post by judy709 on Dec 16, 2019 16:01:12 GMT
Hi all,
I enjoyed catching up with all your weekend activities and the Christmas and holiday festivities we are all wrapped up in during this happy season.
We had a fun weekend but it's been a true blur of activities and gatherings lately. Maybe even a little too much and not enough down time, but I am not complaining. I am also enjoying listening to all the Christmas Classics on Alexa - all the ones my dad used to play with Andy Williams, Nat King Cole and Burl Ives and so forth. Brings back so many happy childhood memories. I really miss my parents this time of year as they both LOVED and made such a big deal of the holidays with food, decorating, music and most of all, a big Christmas eve party with about 60 people - all neighbors and friends. We had moved away from family when we left MA to go to Ohio. But, they gave us the best memories ever there in that big old Victorian home. I am a sap and get so nostalgic. Pam, your little DGKs will forever treasure all the time you spend with them. Love the board games! They are such a great opportunity to just talk about things.
I had my boss's party on Friday night which was a fun cocktail/appetizer type party for about 45. Then, we drove early to the Cape Saturday and had a lot of fun with the "nephews." It was a gloomy rainy day and we watched movies and visited all afternoon and went to dinner at their favorite seafood place. We had festive cocktails and great lobster chowder and scallops, clams, swordfish and fish dinners (everyone had something different) Then we headed home and sat up until about 11 PM talking and watching some fun Carpool Karaoke w/ James Cordin videos. We all loved the Paul McCartney one the best if you haven't seen it. The nephews had spent two nights in Boston and saw Mariah Carey on Friday night. THey loved it. Sunday I got up at 5:30 AM and drove them to the airport.
I was home by 8 and napped until 10 while starting to watch the Crown. Then, I did laundry, made my special Swedish Glogg Christmas drink, got my nails done and made two large casseroles of Stuffed Cabbage. The stuffed cabbage was a WW recipe and a total FLOP. It came out tasting funny and though I followed the recipe to the letter, I decided never again. I tossed it after scooping out the meat and rice for the dogs. It was dry, tough and the sauce was awful. This is the first WW recipe we have not liked and DH said that it was first bad meal I have ever served him in 41 years. Ha ha...I am sure he was just being nice because I felt so badly after all the time I spent making it, but hey, sometimes you get a lousy recipe. His Polish mother would not have been happy with it for sure. I will stick to my simple recipe in the future. At any rate, the dogs are happy to have a scoop of the meat and rice in their bowls!
Tonight I have a gathering with my monthly dinner ladies. We have wisely been contributing $5 every month for over a year so that we can have a nice holiday meal without paying at the time. Sort of like the Christmas Club for Dinner only. Should be fun.
We are on the countdown for our trip on Saturday. I am starting to pile up the clothing I want to pack in the guestroom and the gifts I want to pack that have not been shipped. I have a cute elephant puzzle from the NY Metropolitan Museum that I ordered for DGD and some ornaments for them and a few articles of clothing.
I'll BBL...sorry no personals right now, but later...
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Post by sunshinep396 on Dec 16, 2019 19:48:03 GMT
We got statues moved to storage and the almost life-sized nativity scene moved into church along with about 10 Christmas trees. We were anxious to get it done as there is a front moving in and severe weather predicted for this afternoon. There were only 2 of us women directing a bunch of men, who do all the heavy lifting. The lady in charge had to beg Father to let us do this much. He didn't want to decorate before Advent was over, but we only have one day between the last Sunday in Advent and Christmas Eve this year, so that was a pretty much impossible schedule. The outside lights were put up last week, but not turned on. The final decorating and placing of poinsettias will be done on the 23rd. I have no talent for decorating, so I mostly put things where I'm told.
This afternoon, I have Alzheimer's support group, but have had several call or text to say they're not coming because of the weather. I still have to go in case someone new shows up. I have yoga afterwards, so it's not like I'm making a special trip. Meanwhile, I am working on laundry. DH helped at church and then went off to spend his "mad money" on a new gun for his collection. He starts physical therapy for his sore hip at 3:30 today. I sure hope it helps. The doctor also switched his anti-inflammatory medicine from Meloxicam to prescription strength naproxen sodium (Aleve).
Judy - Glad your weekend went well. Sorry about the cabbage rolls! I find most of the WW recipes use spices or other ingredients that are unfamiliar/unappetizing, so I usually just lighten up my usual recipes as best I can. I also have a couple of cookbooks with heart-healthy Cajun-style cooking that I like and use.
Time to re-boot laundry!
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Post by ann1953 on Dec 16, 2019 21:18:02 GMT
Hi girls. Very tired and stressed over my surgical appointment. It went well....but I have a rather strange thing to try that I won't get into on a public forum. Feel free to email if you want the details Judy I so loved reading all about your festive weekend and all the wonderful memories attached. My parents also did up the Christmas thing in a big way...just with a lot less people LOL. I can still hear her playing piano and all of us singing around......brings a tear to my eye as it fills my heart with joy Safe travels. Sorry you went through all that work for a 'not so good' recipe. At least the fur kids will enjoy it! Pam praying that the Rx gives DH relief on his hip. also hope the PT is a good fit for him. Hope the church decorating went well. I am way past tired. Right now I'm going to sit on the sectional and relax. Supper will be whatever Carl prepares He's a keeper for sure.
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Post by judy709 on Dec 17, 2019 1:19:52 GMT
Hi all. Back from my prime rib dinner at the Boynton! Yum and we had a nice visit. Now I have to go to CVS to pick up antibiotics for yet another infection. Ugh. Ann you and I can trade medical stories in an email later! Sorry you are stressed. With the impending snowstorm, I was afraid I wouldn’t get a jump on this infection since I had not heard back after going to the lab this morning so I called tonight.
Pam, good advice on weird ingredients in some recipes. Next time it’ll stay simple. 😃
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Post by judy709 on Dec 17, 2019 1:22:14 GMT
Oh and sadly we had to pitch the cabbage rolls. They had onions in them and tonight I found out onions are toxic to dogs! This is after we gave them two meals if it. Guess it’s dog food from now on! That’s our usual way and this was a first and last I guess!
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Post by ann1953 on Dec 17, 2019 12:20:01 GMT
Good morning all. Slept well, just not enough. Hopefully after our eye appointments and picking up a few gift cards I'll be able to take a well deserved nap. Happy you enjoyed the Boynton, Judy. Wise choice of food I read where raw onions are bad for pets but cooked are okay. I never gave our pets any onions as I couldn't wrap my head around the difference. Sorry you had to pitch the entire prepared meal. Better safe than sorry. Wishing you luck with taking the antibiotics. Have a great OP day ladies. Will CBL
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Post by sunshinep396 on Dec 17, 2019 18:36:50 GMT
Hi!
We woke up to a cloudy, cool day with a high in the mid-40's, a big change from yesterday's sweltering, humid 80 degrees. I am finishing up yesterday's laundry, menu planning for Christmas Eve and Day and tackling some niggling small tasks, one of which was contacting insurance and doctor's office regarding more rejected claims. I get so tired of it, but the $$$ involved motivates me.
I have a couple more packages to wrap. I am still waiting on one more book for DH to arrive, but it should be here before Christmas. Other than that, I am planning a lazy, cozy day of reading. I finished one book last night, The Inn at Ocean's Edge, which was a pretty good mystery and started Gone So Long, which I am not sure I will like as it likely has lots of "flashback" parts which tend to drive me crazy. I also have a new Elin Hilderbrand waiting in the wings. It seems like when I put things on hold at the library, they all appear at once, lol.
I was the only one, besides the instructor, who showed up for yoga last night. The AC in the room was on the blink again, so we had a "hot yoga". It was 81 in the room when we finished up and both of us were drenched in sweat. I stopped for gas on the way home and as a result, didn't quite make it home before the storm finally broke. Thankfully, I only had about 5 miles to go, because the road was hard to see.
DH and I watched the Saints big win and Drew Brees' record-breaking game. Then he went to bed and I read until after midnight. It was nearly 9:00 AM when he woke me this morning and I feel great after a good night's rest.
I will probably have more gumbo for lunch and then freeze whatever is left. Dinner will be sloppy joes, baked tator tots and salad. The scale this morning is encouraging. I have dropped 3 lbs. of sodium bloat over the past 2 days, as I return to a more normal diet and I feel there is more to shed because my rings are still tight. I will push fluids today and hope for the best. I have a GNO dinner out tomorrow night which will probably bump the scale back up again.
Ann - I hope your "strange thing to try" gives you the relief you are seeking.
Judy - It is certainly frustrating when infections seem to cycle. You may want to try some probiotics if you aren't already taking them. I used to get in a vicious circle of sinus infection-antibiotics-yeast or urinary infection-more antibiotics and so on. Probiotic gummies and a little cranberry juice daily seemed to stop the cycle.
Sue - I hope your secret Santa was a generous as you are!
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Post by ann1953 on Dec 17, 2019 19:50:22 GMT
Carl is out there dealing with the snow. It's still coming down but at least it's tapering off some. Went to the eye doc. The Macular degeneration has gotten a bit worse. Cataracts are about the same...she put in new plugs in each eye to help with the dryness and I'm to continue taking the AREDS 2 and use the gel drops. I go back to her in 6 months. Carl aced his eye exam. He has the sight of a 50 year old...still can wear 'cheaters'. I often tell him that between both of us (I have excellent hearing and him not so much...and him excellent seeing and me not so much) we make one person I find that if you don't find the humor in things you are a goner...... Nice that you got to read and especially happy about your good night sleep. Nothing can quite compare to that blessing Sorry to say that the 'suggestion' has not helped. I'm not throwing in the towel. Will try a different approach. I don't want surgery and will try to avoid that at all costs. Time for me to relax....I'm all 'doctored out' for the time being!!!!!!!!
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Post by judy709 on Dec 17, 2019 21:31:27 GMT
Hi all,
I was home all day and feeling a tad better with antibiotics. I slept a couple hours midday. Thanks for the suggestion Pam on the probiotics. I was taking some and usage dropped off so I’ll pick up more and drink my cranberry juice. These kidney infections are painful and dangerous. I’ve had four since September and I’m seeing a Uro/gyn specialist now. I think all her testing actually aggravated the issue but I had no choice. I was due to have extensive three hour testing tomorrow but postponed to February. Timing isn’t great- I suppose it never is a good time for this- but we’re flying out Saturday.
Sorry about the doctor’s suggestion not working out, Ann. Glad you’re relaxing now! Carl’s a lucky man with his vision. Rare!
I’ll check out that mystery Pam. I need one for travel. I have a few on my kindle.
DH worked from home today and I have a pork roast in the oven along with mashed potatoes and green beans and apple sauce on the side.
Tomorrow we have two parties at work. I’m helping to set the big one up for all faculty and staff. It’s a pretty catered affair. The other is our own group if 40 for apps, sweets and a yankee swap. This time I wrapped a big box of gold Ferrerro Roche chocolates. It’s a good size!
Have a good night!
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Post by judy709 on Dec 17, 2019 23:03:41 GMT
Ann, Carl is your eyes and you are his ears! We compliment each other too. It takes two to get through this old age stuff! 😂
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Post by ann1953 on Dec 17, 2019 23:54:39 GMT
Lol Judy. Aging is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy your Christmas parties. Mmm to pork roast. Sounds great. Hope the antibiotics kick in. I don't blame you for having the testing done later.
Snow finally stopped! Poor Carl is beat.
Time to read.
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