May Flowers - Week 4

[papmom3]

May Flowers - Week 4

Hey Jolie!! Your extended weekend sounded very nice. Once day I will have a fire pit. Wonder if I can buy a hubby to go with it!! :H

chill!! A date!! How very cool. I do hope you see him again. He sounds VERY interesting!!

Rustop-Nephew was at the Dublin School of Cookery today with his class. There's a pic of him on FB grilling lamb shanks!! He's feeling a bit better but can't wait to come home. Poor guy. I found out tonite he was so homesick that first week he was actually in tears on the phone with his GF. Sniff. 2 more weeks. I do hope he's at least enjoying your beautiful weather.

Lav-havent' had a chance to visit that website yet. Hopefully tomorrow nite after quilting. Did you survive the heat? I haven't turned on any of the ACs yet but I think that day is coming.

[papmom3]

May Flowers - Week 4

Hey Jolie!! Your extended weekend sounded very nice. Once day I will have a fire pit. Wonder if I can buy a hubby to go with it!! :H

chill!! A date!! How very cool. I do hope you see him again. He sounds VERY interesting!!

Rustop-Nephew was at the Dublin School of Cookery today with his class. There's a pic of him on FB grilling lamb shanks!! He's feeling a bit better but can't wait to come home. Poor guy. I found out tonite he was so homesick that first week he was actually in tears on the phone with his GF. Sniff. 2 more weeks. I do hope he's at least enjoying your beautiful weather.

Lav-havent' had a chance to visit that website yet. Hopefully tomorrow nite after quilting. Did you survive the heat? I haven't turned on any of the ACs yet but I think that day is coming.

[papmom3]

May Flowers - Week 4

Hey Jolie!! Your extended weekend sounded very nice. Once day I will have a fire pit. Wonder if I can buy a hubby to go with it!! :H

chill!! A date!! How very cool. I do hope you see him again. He sounds VERY interesting!!

Rustop-Nephew was at the Dublin School of Cookery today with his class. There's a pic of him on FB grilling lamb shanks!! He's feeling a bit better but can't wait to come home. Poor guy. I found out tonite he was so homesick that first week he was actually in tears on the phone with his GF. Sniff. 2 more weeks. I do hope he's at least enjoying your beautiful weather.

Lav-havent' had a chance to visit that website yet. Hopefully tomorrow nite after quilting. Did you survive the heat? I haven't turned on any of the ACs yet but I think that day is coming.

[Lavande]

May Flowers - Week 4

Not a damn thunder storm in sight so I ended up watering the garden Papmom
Sounds like you had a great day! Sorry your nephew is so homesick, that's kinda cute though - he must love his family & it's hard being away from home & sick.

I ended up with son & his family here for an impromptu dinner & YB again too (he wanted the leftovers from yesterday). Makes me wonder if he ever wonders why he ran off two years ago - it wasn;t because the food sucked :H
My son the firefighter started a fire in my yard tonight too! Of course EB was excited as anything.

Jolie, I won't jinx you by saying congrats but I am very happy for you
My AC is on & it's staying on - ugh!

Rusty, did you get that run in or did the heat get you??

Well, my DIL starts her 5 week summer session tomorrow - she's taking two courses. Guess who is having two kids dropped off at her house before 7 am? Pray for me!!!

Have a great night everyone!
Lav

[Rusty]

May Flowers - Week 4

Good Evening May Friends,

Papmom-awwww......your nephew is homesick....that is so sweet. What an experience he is having....the opportunity to travel to Ireland.....a lifetime experience. Good for him.

Lav-OMG:mad-door::stomper: That's all I have to say about the ungodly early babysitting hours for the next 5 weeks. I'm not saying another thing. Nope. I'm keeping my feelings to myself.:H No, I didn't get the run in today....I went to this wonderful greenhouse and gift shop and picked out my flowers for my decks, and bought a mirror for my entryway. It was very relaxing...kind of like when you go to Longwood Gardens with your daughter....just strolled and looked around. Then, within seconds of deciding to go for a swim in the pool in lieu of the run (too hot outside, still), a thunderstorm rolled in. Oh well. The heat didn't get to me, fortunately. Despite having SPF 50 on, I managed to get some sun and hence, I am sporting a farmer tan (actually not a tan...but the abundance of freckles on my arms gives me the appearance of a tan:H ) Geez....now that I wake up at 7:00 a.m. I feel like I am behind schedule all day. Must work on balancing my time, planning, etc. You cracked me up with the comment and YB not leaving because of your cooking. I'm glad you had company for dinner.

A shoutout to the rest of our friends here. I am still looking for Sooty, SD, Cyn....check in, please. Humor me, ok? hahahhh!

Have a restful evening.

[Rusty]

May Flowers - Week 4

All kidding aside, Lav, I pray that you will have strength. I know how much you love your grandsons, and the long, long hours you put in. You're a wonderful Granny, and they know it! Sleep well, friend.:l

[rustop59]

May Flowers - Week 4

Good morning everyone

Just a quick check in from me, rushing to take daughter to exam.

Papmom - I did a day BBQ course in the Dublin Cookery School a few weeks ago. The food tasted amazing!! I did their ribs marinated in hoisin sauce, sherry, brown sugar and a bunch of other stuff at the week-end, ummy. The good news is I lost .5lb this week. I was not trying and enjoyed the ribs but have been eating more salads because of the hot weather, I am also trying to stay away from the sweet stuff.

Chill - more date details please.

Big hello to Star, Jolie, Lav, Rusty, Cyn, Dill, Janice, Bouv and anyone else I missed.

Rustop

[Lavande]

May Flowers - Week 4

Good morning early birds!

Just saying hello before the kids arrive!
Just want to clarify that I am NOT watching the boys everyday over the next 5 weeks. I am no saint :H My son will be off some of those days & there is a regular paid babysitter involved as well - thank God :H

Have a terrific day!
Lav

[Stargazerlily]

May Flowers - Week 4

Good morning to all...

Had a great weekend, some sun, pool, cookout, it was hot but fun. Back to work today, not looking forward to it. I wish I had the summers off, or like Pap, 10 whole days in a row.

Rusty, thanks for your comments about my son and his choices. I guess hanging out with girls is safe, I just never thought of it like that. It must be so difficult to have to cover up in the sun. I am so glad you are able to relax and shop, it takes time to get out of the mindset of do do do.

Lav, so great of you to babysit, your weekend sounded great, too. Thanks for the new website, I checked it out already. We need rain desperately, I have to go out and water, too.

Rustop, lost more weight? Geez, I need to get on a program and be consistent. It is wonderful to spend time outside, I love this time of year.

Chill, you never cease to amaze...glad you had an interesting date. Have you had a chance to check out the ToDo institute site? Just wanted your thoughts. I will be juicing for a few days, the bad food I ate has resulted in feeling achy and tired.

Dew, so lovely to hear from you. You are taking great care of yourself and it is good to know that you are able to spend time in nature and with loving family. We are taught that it it good to work and be busy, and bad to relax and take care of ourselves. At least that was the messsage I internalized. Balance is the key. Keep in touch.

To all, have a great day.

[Rusty]

May Flowers - Week 4

Good Morning!

Lav, sorry if I caused mass hysteria on our thread. I know you only have the grandsons 2 days a week, but they are long hours. Ok, now I WILL shut up. Good luck today.:l I did pray for you and will think of you today, too.

Rustop-Congratulations on the continued weight loss....and how fun to take a course at the Dublin Cookery School.

Star-I am glad you had a relaxing AF weekend!

Busy day for me, so a happy AF Tuesday to everyone!

[Janice]

May Flowers - Week 4

Congratulation Rusty on your 2yrs!! Fantastic achievement and very inspiring!! Yes I've read The Glass Castle, a few years back (first time round on here!!) and really enjoyed it. Also read Mother's Ruin by Nicola Barry which was a little close to home for me at times but enjoyed that too!! Talking abt books - Wayne Dwyer loved his 10 Secrets for Success & Inner Peace!

Going to check out the link for the website re "Give your head a rest from thinking"..sounds just what I need!!! My head gets so noisy!!

Well ladies (& Bouv!) 3 weeks ago today I had my last drink!! Very early days but I feel great. So much more energy & 'get up & go'. Did a bootfair on Sunday, had been intending to do one for years but you know how it is when you're caught in the AL trap...you just cant be bothered! Anyway, was up at 5am & on the pitch at 6am - really pleased as we made ?95 which paid for my new juicer!!

Yesterday I was gardening all day - heavy gardening, chopping down overgrown tree branches & shrubs & getting rid of it to the tip. I just couldnt have done all this 3 weeks ago, it would have been too much effort.

Chill...glad you enjoyed your date! Love Cheltenham, my hubby goes racing there for the week every March & stays in Chipping Camden, lovely place!!

Off to make my afternoon juice....2 apples, 2 parsnips (yes!!) & a bunch of mint, juiced & poured over ice!!!
Have a great day!

xxx

[Bouv57]

May Flowers - Week 4

Hi, Everyone! We went to Virginia to see our younger daughter Saturday and Sunday. She is truly one of the nicest people on Earth, and her dad wishes he could be more like her. Her sister is pretty special, too. The trip was really nice, but I'm sorry that I fell behind on my reading here.

Went out to cut the grass yesterday, and found that the neighbor behind us had taken a chainsaw to our trees and bushes where they face his house. Do they hang over his fence? Yes, but only at the height of 8 feet or more. He and his wife have some issues - their blinds are always closed and they never come outside. Anyway, cleaning up the mess he made - yes, he threw the branches back into our yard - took another 3 hours. And as Jolie and Lav know, it was 90 degrees here. Ugh.

Glad to hear about your date, Chill; I hope you see him again soon.

Going back to last week, Rusty your leisure suit comment (and being able to give directions) cracked me up. I never wore them - I was a roofer during disco and that would have been asking to get my @#$ kicked. LOL

And congratulations on 2 years. That's wonderful! And Janice on three weeks. Proud of you.

Thanks for the compliment, Papmom. Sorry to hear about the new dog issue. And, I promise not to go away; I need you guys. You have been great to me.

Lav, your vegan meal sounded wonderful. I'm reading John Robbins now - he was the heir to Baskin-Robbins, but gave it all up to learn about nutrition and expose the disgusting treatment of animals in our food industry. Not to get on a soapbox, but I want to give up meat instead of just limiting it. Our older daughter has been vegatarian, then vegan for about 12 of her 26 years, and sets a great example.

LadyBirdHeart, praying that the fires are controlled soon and that rain is on the way.

Hello to Jolie, Rustop, StarGazerLily, and everyone. I'll be back later to catch up. Have a nice AF evening!

Bouv xo

[Lavande]

May Flowers - Week 4

The grandsons have gone home - we all survived :yay:
It's not easy handling all that activity when you are 29 years past your 29th birthday :H

Star, if you can, watch some of the documentaries on Netflix about food, veganism, yoga, etc. They are very inspirational & helping me a lot

Rusty, hope you have a good week!

Janice, sounds like you are really enjoying your juicer - good for yuo

Bouv, we've had a$$hole neighbors, just like yours in the past.
What is wrong with some people?
Glad your trip to see your daughter went well!
The vegan eating thing has developed slowly for me. I've found myself unable to tolerate any dairy whatsoever & most meats. Why live with chronic GI distress when I can just give up the offending foods, right? I feel like a human again so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. There are awesome cookbooks out there, tons of great websites......it's pretty easy!

OK, now I have to prepare for my daughter & grandaughter's arrival tomorrow. They will be here for two days & I love having them.

This pic is from this morning.......two boys & a puppy!

[FlyAway]

May Flowers - Week 4

Sorry I have been negligent in posting here. There is so much wisdom among you all and I love to read about the journeys you all are taking in your lives.

Stargazer--I can't wait to hear about your ToDo weekend. I've thought about doing one too but with my work schedule it would be impossible this year. I did buy a book on Naikan from ToDo. And I feel the same way as you about many "religions." I was brought up in one like you described (judgmental, hateful) and it has turned me against much organized religion. I find myself leaning more and more towards Eastern philosophies.

Lav--Thank you for turning me onto ToDo in the first place. Btw, how did you end up making your stuffed strawberries?

Janice--That juicer sounds amazing. I have a juicer that you have to cut everything up into tiny pieces to use. Is it pretty easy to clean up?

Papmom--I'm sorry you're feeling overwhelmed but it's easy to see why. I went back and read about your nephew too. Glad to hear that he seems to be doing better. I hope you can work things out with your neighbors as far as your dogs go.

Chill--I agree with you 100% about sugar. Unfortunately I've been struggling with it since I quit drinking. It's amazing how much I crave it. Your date sounds great! What an interesting and well-rounded man.

Rusty--Huge congratulations to you! It's shocking the difference in how you sounded from last month to now. You sound like a different person. I hate to say it but I think losing that job was a good thing for you. Two years AF is fabulous.

Jolie--So close to 5 months!

Dewdrop--You sound like you've got a full time job with that garden. Holy cow!

Rustop--Congrats to you on losing weight. I think I found what you lost and more.

Bouv--Your neighbor sounds like an ass! But I am glad that you got to spend time with your daughter. I love Virginia. Used to live there myself.

LBH--Positive vibes to you. I hope that the fires are under control and that you are safe.

There's not a lot new to report from me. I wonder about myself at times. I often feel down or depressed. But I wonder am I really depressed or is this just learned behavior? I went through several years of sad/tough times when I was a teenager and into my early 20's. And that's when my low feelings started. The sadness I felt at that time was justified but I can't help but wonder if by being sad for so many years that it sort of became my "normal." Does that make any sense? I was still learning and growing then and I wonder if I didn't grow into being a down and sad person. And I wonder if I can learn to be a happy and energetic person too. Just thoughts.

I'm off to eat dinner. I wish you all a wonderful night.

[Lavande]

May Flowers - Week 4

Fly,

I truly believe that 'negative thinking' is a learned habit & we can take steps to change that. I did with a program I purchased online called "Habit Busting' by Lee Milteer. I downloaded the whole program (audio CDs & workbook). I did all this just before I found MWO & decided to go AF.

I spent most of my life positive & full of hope but ended up turning into a negative thinker as I entered my forties. Being married to a chronically depressed king of negative thinking really got me down & that's when I started drinking (to medicate myself, so to speak). That 21 day program absolutely worked for me - I made it work! That was the beginning of me finding my way out. See what you think.
Habit Busting Secrets by Lee Milteer

My vegan cheesecake stuffed strawberries turned out great ~ everyone loved them.
I bought a pound of large strawberries, hulled & cored them. The filling was simple: 4 oz. cream cheese substitute (Galaxy Nutritional Cream Cheese Alternative), 4T powdered sugar & 1 tsp vanilla. Just mix that together then pipe into the prepared strawberries. I made some graham cracker crumbs (from the kid's graham cracker stash) & sprinkled them on top. Looked very pretty too

Wow - the storm that just blew through here dropped the temp from 90+ to 70 degrees!
Wishing everyone a comfy night!