Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good morning friends

Brrr, the arctic air is moving back in & I'm feeling it this morning!
We're supposed to have several small snow events over the next few days, swell.

Rusty, sorry about your uncle!
I also just lost an uncle last week, he was 83. That makes 3 relatives gone in just 6 months for me

Star, enjoy the new chair! It's always nice to add a little something new to the house

Dill, I really enjoyed Dr. Amen's books, I have several. I've also seen him several times on PBS. There has been some controversy about him in the medical community but I don't care about any of that. He has developed a practice around the use of SPECT scans - brain imaging to help diagnose & treat psychiatric & neurologic conditions. He is a big fan of healthy eating & clean living. His concept of ANTS - automatic negative thoughts really spoke to me!!!! Kill the ANTS is a powerful tool & it worked for me
Glad to hear your son is doing so well! He's lucky to have you in his life.

I am awaiting the arrival of YB - I need chicken feed, he lifts the 50 lb bags, I don't :H
Wishing everyone a great AF Saturday!

Lav

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good Morning, Everyone, from Leominister, MA!

Thank you everyone for your condolences. I am typing from my phone so this will be a quick post. Sorry for the confusion, friends. My Aunt Rusty died 10 years ago to the day her husband died, on Dec. 30th. This is his funeral today. Aunt Rusty never got sober. She never wanted to and he was so in love with her, that it was easier to just give in and buy the booze for her than fight with her over it, and he liked his booze, too, and he wasn't going to ask her to quit while he kept on drinking. He thought he was keeping my aunt's drinking problem a secret from the rest of the family but everyone knew of course. My sober Aunt Marty is sharing the room with me. She flew down from her home in DC. She has been married 43 years, and she drank daily for 30 of them. Her husband was violently abusive to her early in their marriage and emotionally abusive until finally, when she went to rehab, Which required therapy with spouses. He had to admit he was a huge part of the problem. Sharing a room with my aunt, sober, is fun. She was addicted to speed, too, so she is so much calmer now, and her husband treats her much better, too. I will be back later. I am serving my aunt breakfast in bed. :-). Love you guys.

Xox
Sober and Happy Rusty

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Oops.....did I say my last post was going to be quick/short?? LOL

Dill-Aunt Rusty was 70 when she died of cancer....directly caused by 45 years of drinking vodka and smoking. My sober aunt just celebrated her 70th b-day on January 9. I hope I have her around another 20 years. She is the baby of the family, just like me. :-)

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

P.S. Lav- I must get that book by Dr. Amen. I Know seine who needs it. Thanks'

[cyntree]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Hey all!

I know I posted the last couple of days...maybe on the wrong week again? dunno. Anyway, I've been thinking of you all as usual. Yesterday a dreadful headache was back, so it was a bit of a slog. But I did manage to get a project finished and mailed off, and that's just short of a miracle. I often have these ideas, but don't get them done very often. This big idea was putting one of my grand-niece's pieces of artwork on t-shirts for each family member (6 - all different sizes). Done and dusted, as Sooty used to say. I mailed it express, since I want it to arrive before my nephew (a commander) deploys on Tuesday.

Thanks for the quote Dill - I truly laughed out loud! What a great mind, coupled with a great sense of humor. In the documentary I saw, it was so moving to see her presiding her committee at the UN when the landmark human rights bill was passed.

Sounds like everyone was chugging along. Thanks for your back-story Lav - it's amazing what our thoughts can do. Just last night I was reading in The Brain the Changes Itself that it is demonstrable now that thoughts literally change our brain - it's not a figure of speech. But it takes practice...

Rusty - such an amazing story about your aunts. And you sweetie, serving b'fst in bed! Dill - hang in there, you are once amazing mom. And Star, Mrs. Amazing, you have taught me so much about acceptance and perseverance. PMom - I do hope that you will take time to listen to your body, as Lav says. Rest is key to recovery, I should think - it's OK to stop now and then. Dream, thanks for re-posting that material, great to read.

Supposed to be 1 inch of snow - got 8 of wet, heavy -- but still have power! Take care all -

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good morning friends,

I think the sun is starting to pop thru the heavy cloud cover - yay!

Cyn, sorry you had all that snow dumped on you. All we had here was some flurries yesterday.
Don't hurt yourself trying to shovel or anything Your T shirt project sounds interesting!
I have a heat press in my shop. If I motivate myself I can actually print pictures & press them onto T shirts, sweatshirts, etc. I haven't done any lately - hmm

I talked to my nephew early yesterday morning & was shocked to find out that his wife had a stroke on Wednesday! 42 years old, healthy, no risk factors - it came out of nowhere!
Fortunately she was treat quickly with the TPA protocol as they found a clot lodged in the left side of her brain. She apparently has some right-sided weakness & speech difficulties but is stable & on her way to rehab. Things like this make you stop & realize just how precious life is & grateful for your own good health. Their youngest daughter is just 16 & requires a lot of attention, she is autistic. I wish I lived closer to them so I could lend a hand. I'll do what I can from here.

Today is my daughter's 37th BD & her husband turns 40 on Wednesday SO we are gathering here for dinner, of course! Ms Lily told me she wants a Hello Kitty cake for he mama :H
I baked a gluten free dairy free pound cake yesterday - I'll let Lily decorate it when they get here!!

Greetings to Rusty, Dill, papmom, DTD, Star & everyone!
Have a great AF Sunday!

Lav

[cyntree]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Hey all - happy snowy Sunday all! (here at least...). SD is here for the weekend, so this will be brief, but wanted to say hello. Lav - please send the poundcake recipe!! I adore pound cake, and haven't been able to have any for a long time - I wonder if I could make it with brown rice syrup for sweetener? RE: strokes, a dear friend of ours had a massive stroke (62 yrs old) that he is coming back from, but extremely slowly, and who knows how much damage was done. The whole artistic community - world-wide, really - has been sending energy his way. I think it has helped him heal.

Hope all are well - Star are you going back to the deep freeze again? It will be here the end of next week..hoping things are less chaotic at your place. Dill - I wish the same for you - stay strong, take care of yourself, find a way to 'fill the well'. PMom - are you resting today? Rusty - are you at the memorial? Hey - if you meet up in MA, maybe could I come too? Greetings to Dream, Jolie, and all else...

[papmom3]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Hi All-real quick as I have to get going-heading out to W. Ma for my neph's hockey game and then cheer on the pats at my bro's house. I'm tired!!

Rusty-Methuen is only an hour from me straight up 495 so YES YES YES I would LOVE to meet up with you! I won't argue either! Cyn, it would be awesome if you could join us but it's a loooong trip for you! Rusty, I'm sorry about your Uncle. I wish I had read your post on Friday-I could have sent you loving thought while I was in S. Boston yesterday. The friend I went with lost her favorite aunt on Thursday-she lived in Cambridge. I thought the funeral would be yesterday but apparently not. Hope it wasn't too sad a day for you and you were able to celebrate his life and reconnect with Aunt Marty. :l

Had a great time at the RV show in S. Boston yesterday. We all met at my agility friend's house in Winthrop and sat and chatted about an hour-had tea and muffins. I had never formally met the other woman(seen her compete) and she is lovely! Drove 2 hours from Portland , ME to join us!! The show was awesome. It was a dream and droll show for me but the ME woman was seriously shopping. I can't wait to see what she ends up with-so many choices!! We ended up at Legal Seafoods at Harborside (same area as the famous No Name Restaurant) and had a wonderful dinner. I was able to order fish and veggies steamed in foil, no sides. The chef assure our waitress there was no added sodium. It was delish and filling!! Drive home was in the snow (we got about 6 inches in Central MA-Surprise!!) and collapsed in bed as soon as the kids were taken care of.

Another busy day. Must get going. :l :h

[dill]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Greetings, late check in here.

Papmom, glad you had such a great time at the RV show. I was watching the game today but was cheering on the Broncos, simply because I am a Peyton Manning fan. Sorry your Pats had such a bad day tho.

Cyn, so sorry to hear about your friend having a massive stroke. Such a shame. Did he lose speech? Thanks for reminding me to find a way to "fill the well". I did today by spending a few hours with a girl friend, shopping. We had a great time. My home life is more hectic than I would like, but recently things have been going much better since my son "graduated" from his 60 day in house treatment. Having him home sharing the childcare again has been wonderful.

Lav, what a shock! A stroke at 42?! You just never know, do you. I hope she recovers quickly and fully.

Have a peaceful AF night.

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good morning friends,

Still tired after a long & busy day with my family yesterday. We had a lot of fun though so I won't complain - much :H

cyn, 3-6 inches of snow is predicted here tomorrow, yay
The cake recipe came from an ebook called 'Simply...Gluten-Free Desserts'. I'll try to get back later with a copy for you. The cake was good, everyone said so although it did not have the same super dense texture of a regular pound cake. It was totally acceptable.

I did remember to ask my daughter to write down the supplements she's using for her joints & fibromyalgia.
Ayurevda - Triphala which cleanses toxins & supports the immune system
D-Ribose for Energy
Malic acid/magnesium for pain control
Vit D3 - 1,000 iu (I personally take 3,000 to 5,000 per day)
Turmeric capsules
St. John's Wort (very helpful in managing chronic pain) (I take mine in the compound Amoryn 1 or2 per day).

It looks like a lot but she is feeling much, much better.
Here's some interesting info about D-ribose: D-Ribose

Greetings Dill, Rusty, papmom. Where's Jolie??
Have a great day everyone - I'll be back later.

Lav

[cyntree]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good morning all -

PMom, uh I guess you didn't rest! Seriously, how do you keep up this schedule? Yes, the snow here was a big surprise: supposed to be 1 inch, but got about 8. Snowplows were AWOL, so the going was tough. I'm glad that you made it home safely.

Dill - so glad to hear that things are a bit easier for you, and that you did indeed find some 'Dill' time. My friend's stroke happened last July 4th, when he was at his lake home in the middle of nowhere WI. He was medivacced to Mpls, MN, and the doctors induced a coma. For a long time there were simply no signs, but slowly slowly he is showing some interaction, and I believe he is entirely out of the coma state. Yes, realizing that we don't know what's just around the corner really does bump up the gratitude list, and make everything sweeter, more precious.

I'm looking at some lovely nasturtiums that a friend gave me (plants) I've 'picked' some and have them in vases around the house. They are snowy-white, just like the pristine snow outside. I have a warm house, and my pups close by. Life is good.

Now, to work! Hope all are well - safe travels Rusty, be careful Star, best AF wishes to all -

[dill]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

The Farmer's Almanac predicted a harsh winter. I am so sorry they got it right! We're heading back down into the single digits here this week. Winter is only 1/3rd over!

I've been spending my afternoon cleaning out shelves and cabinets and trying to get organized. I am very stressed out by this whole activity but once I make some progress I know it will be worth it and I'll feel better.

Greetings to you Cyn and Lav. Hey to you Rusty, DTD, Jolie, Star. Enjoy a peaceful AF Monday evening.

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good morning friends,

Revised snow fall totals for today are a foot or more I hear ~ swell
It hasn't started yet, I feel like I should go somewhere - anywhere!!!!!

I'm going to try to push myself to do some of what you are doing Dill, sorting & organizing. My shop is a disaster area, always is after the holidays.

I made a pot of chicken noodle soup yesterday, today's soup will be mushroom - love soup leftovers!!

Wishing everyone a good & warm AF Tuesday.
Hello to Star, cyn, papmom, Rusty, Jolie & everyone.

Lav

[cyntree]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Snowy hello to all -

x-post, yesterday Lav! No worries about the pound cake recipe - I'll google it. This list looks great - new information for me, so I will check it all out. A foot of snow or more for you?! I heard it is already dumping on NC and Virginia. We are in the path, maybe, it all depends on how the coastal stuff goes...last time they predicted 1" and we got slammed, so I'm taking it all with a grain of salt.

Greetings to all - I must dash - getting ready to leave to visit wandering working hubby on Thursday. House and dog things to get ready, doing banking and picking up supplies today before the snow gets bad, finishing the painting and corporate taxes to send off before I leave. Cross fingers!

As an organizing coach, I'll give you closet-cleaners my standard advice: baby steps! Less is more when it comes to de-cluttering, or it can really get overwhelming (been there many times).

Hope all are well and treasuring their AF-ness. Will try to pop back in later -

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 3

Good Morning Friends!!!!!

I'm baaaack. The funeral was truly uplifting, a celebration of life rather than sadness. I had no clue that it would be a military funeral and I was so impressed. My cousin and her husband sang....how I wish I could sing like that! I got to see a bunch of my fun cousins and their just-as-much-fun spouses. I am grateful for my big, loving family. I had some good, long talks with my sober aunt, who shared a room with me. She told me she thought I was lying when I told her my way out of my drinking problem was to be online at MWO. She was very skeptical about MWO being effective without me going to a 12-Step rehab (she's very active in AA). When I told her how much time I spent on here, reading, lurking, using the Toolbox, only then did she understand. She thanked me profusely for doing all the planning for the trip, taking charge, etc. She may be sober but emotionally, she is so high-maintenance. I zonked out on the plane coming home.

Pap-so sorry to hear about your friend's aunt. Despite her issues, my Aunt Marty is still my favorite aunt. Glad you had fun at the RV Show....geez, you were close by over the weekend, weren't you? GREAT that we can meet up.:yay: I will PM you the dates and all the details.

Cyn-ooohhhh, I would love it if we could hook up in MA but wouldn't it be a long, long drive for you? I will PM you the details of my trip. Actually, I am planning to go to NYC sometime this year and I thought we could hook up and have a meal together, if that works for you? I haven't been to NY in years, and my Mom said she has never enjoyed a performance more than seeing the Rockettes, and I would love to see them over the Christmas holidays. Are you going to look for another job or just lay low for a while? Your flowers sound lovely...fresh flowers are so soothing, especially in this kind of weather. The wind chill is supposed to be 25 below today.

Lav, thank you for the supplement info. I always find your suggestions helpful.

Dill-Glad you got the chance to go shopping with a friend. It must have felt heavenly to get a break from your grandchildren. I'm delighted your son is doing so well with his sobriety. I know how daunting the thought of cleaning out all your kitchen cabinets can be. An elderly once told me her granddaughter was so disorganized when it came to her kitchen cabinets and closets....and her granddaughter said the reason why was because the thought of getting organized was so overwhelming she didn't even want to think about doing it. Her grandmother said re: her kitchen cabinets..."take it one cabinet at a time." I thought that was good advice.

Star, Jolie and DTD-Come out, come out!!!

Have a lovely AF Tuesday, everybody.