October Optimism

[Lavande]

Just saw papmom's victory picture on FB after the 5K with her family & friends today - awesome

Dill, so glad you liked the millet - weird, huh? Who knew??
I'll keep the link for the page you posted too, thanks!

I ended up having my son & his family for dinner, nice time.
I'm kinda tired now so I hope I can sleep without too many hot flashes waking me. This weaning process from the HRT has not been very nice.

Have a good night one & all!

[papmom3]

Hello hello everyone!

Well the 5K is well over and it was fun although I am now feeling the effects of really pushing myself. Tomorrow's demo and standing for 4 hours should be interesting LOL!!

So we got to Amherst around 9 this morning. It was chilly and gray-perfect for running!! The walkers (my dad, BIL and neice) took off around 9:30. We runners went off at 10:30. The course was very hilly and mostly trail. I'm used to only 1 hill and sidewalks! My nephew finished first at 28 min. My brother next at 30 something. Then my SIL and nephew (not sure of their time). All 4 ran the whole course. My sister finished in around 38 minutes-she mostly ran. I came in last but had a personal best (PB) of 43. 34 minutes!!! I think that was the time-I kind of remember looking at the clock as I crossed the line but unfortunately I didn't start or end my app on time so I can't use what it says. Still, the fact that I ran for 1.2 miles at the start is freaking amazing to me!! As of Wed I couldn't run for more than 4 minutes at a time and today I ran for about 13 min straight!! I walked most of the second mile because it was mostly hills and I tried to run the 3 mile but there was 2 big hills at the end so I walked until the last .1 mile and then I fired all cylinders and went as fast as I could to the end. It was so cool! The only thing I'm a little sad about is that no one was waiting for me at the finish! I had to go find them. Kind of hurt by that. But all is forgiven. We got interviewed by the UMass TV stations-turns out the videojournalist comes from my home town and took a few classes with my nephew! Very small world! She took a family picture for us. I'm the one the white/pink visor and pink shirt ( the visor is shading my face and I think I look like hell!). A special friend made the visor for me and I just had to wear it today and did so proudly. From left to right: BIL, Sis, Neice, Nephew, Brother, Dad, Me, SIL, Nephew:
post race family pic.jpg
There was a huge farmer's market on the common all day so after the race we went shopping. I got the cutest little head of cauliflower! Nice fat head of red leaf lettuce and some carrots.
green cauliflower.jpg
After that we all went down the road where the International Arborists Assoc was holding the regional climbing competition. My brother's company was one of the sponsors. It was very cool watching these men AND women climbing this big tree for speed, accuracy and safety. Then home. After a little rest I spent a few hours making a new recipe for LM.

Yesterday was a great working conference! Love getting out of the office and focusing on transfer stuff! Got out a little early so did my specialty shopping.

Cyn-welcome back! So sorry you're working so hard its making you ill. Hope you can get some rest! Winterize the house? what is that??

Dill- u were wicked busy this weekend!! way to go! great job on finding the bulk store.

Star-yes, I get the week between xmas and new years off-I have to take vacation time but that's OK. Glad you have this weekend off too!

Lav-good news about your business picking up now. it's definitely seasonal isn't it?

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

What a night. Drama and baby getting sick. They took him to the ER, and he is OK. The drama is related to the baby being sick. Not fun. Then, we went shopping, and now i have to exchange most things as he is growing so fast. I am so glad to be AF, tired but able to function.

Lav, thanks for the suggestion regarding how to get an avatar. It was fun and pretty easy. It was rainy and crummy here too. At least no snow. I am going to clean after they leave today, wipe everything down, air it out, then make veggie soup for immune system strength. Whew. How do you know what size to buy kids so they can wear something more than two weeks? Dill, you can help me out too.

Dill, so glad you like the book. I never got to the library yesterday, hope to go there this afternoon. The millet sounds interesting. I am going to check it out soon.

Cyn, so nice to hear from you. Take care and don't do too much.

Pap, so proud of you. You are just a warrior. How fun to be able to run. What a great day.

Not sure what is happening today. Have a good Sunday.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

Partly sunny & chilly here - not bad! I'm already getting frost advisory alerts on my phone though. I probably should remember to close the windows in the chicken house so the Stellas don't freeze their buns off tonight

Papmom, congrats on your 5K success! I've never done one & doubt I ever will at this point. Makes me wish I had pushed myself harder when I was young. That cauliflower certainly is interesting looking - perhaps a little pre-historic?? Ha ha!

SnoopStar, glad the baby is OK. It is truly frightening when the little ones get sick, they are so helpless. Every new parent faces that day at some point. Hope your daughter isn't too traumatized either. I like the way some pediatricians have triage lines set up so you can talk to someone & have your questions answered before panic sets in.
I usually buy baby clothes by age/weight. If they are 6 months old then I buy size 9 months so they can wear it for a while. It takes a little practice but it all comes back to you

OK, time to get some odds & ends done around here.
Greetings to Dill, Cyn/Tree, Fly & anyone stopping by today.
Have a great AF day!

Lav

[dill]

:welldone::sohappy::thumbsup::goodjob: Papmom, well done! I truly admire you! You have accomplised so much!

SnoopStar, I know just how hard it is when the baby is sick. It makes one feel so helpless! I hope your grandson is better.

Lav and Cyn, greetings!

I'm sorry I can't really post at the moment, my granddaughter is here today and is staying overnight. I'll check in tomorrow more properly.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Had a great day yesterday, a beautiful fall day. We found a park close to our house that has trails and hiked and enjoyed the scenery.

Baby still sick, fighting a fever, so kind of worried. Doctor's appointment today.

Well, back to work, glad to be feeling good. Went back to lowering my carb intake, except for natural foods, and feel better already. Made soup and as it is cold, it is great to warm up. Hope you all have a great Monday.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,
I am on kid watch as well this morning so I'll check in later.

Have a great AF Monday everyone!

Lav

[dill]

Hello Again,

Sent the little vagabond back home this afternoon. Whew! I need a rest! She was wound up yesterday when she arrived later in the evening and it took forever to settle her down. In fact, she didn't get to sleep until 11:00 pm and then she got up at 6:30 am! She hit the ground running. We had a good time though, just busy.

Star, I hope little grandson is feeling better by now. Such a worry. I didn't make a soup but did make a stew in the crockpot that was pretty much a hit. I think the weather played in to it. I'm glad you found a nice place to explore.

Lav, how did your kid watch go? Was it with your difficult 3 year old? Hope you are like me at the moment: relaxing!

Hello Ms. Tree, Papmom and Fly.

I listened to the Bubble hour podcast on "I relapsed, now what?" It was really good and thought provoking. Quite helpful.

Have a good and peaceful AF Monday evening.

[Lavande]

Yep Dill ~ sitting with my feet up
I actually only had Will for half the day. He left under protest, he wanted to stay but I wanted to do other things, LOL
He was well behaved, kept his pants on & even went with me to deliver eggs to my Curves friends. Whatever was going on with him the past few months was awful - I hope that phase is gone for good! They really can bust your buns

I made a recipe from that millet page you posted last week - millet, spinach, eggs & cheese baked up like a soufflé. Wow, it was good. Next time I will give it a little extra zing with some tobacco - yum.

I subscribe to an osteoporosis program called 'Save Our Bones'. The founder of the program is a Registered Dietician who doesn't believe in taking Rx drugs either. She has a lot of great research, information & recipes on her website:

https://www.saveourbones.com

I like this recipe for using quinoa instead of bread crumbs for making stuffing. Bread is acidic, not good for our bones. I've made this recipe, added sautéed mushrooms & even turkey bacon bits - so good

Saver’s Stuffing
Makes approximately 5 cups

Ingredients:

–1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
–1 ½ cups vegetable broth
–1 tablespoon olive oil
–1 small onion, diced
–1/2 cup tomato, chopped
–2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced (1 tablespoon dried sage)
–1/2 cup celery, diced
–1/2 cup carrots, diced
–8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
–Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth following package directions.

2.While the quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil and sauté the onion and mushrooms for a few minutes. 

3.Add the tomato, sage, celery, carrots, and salt and pepper to taste; cook for approximately 12-15 minutes over medium heat, or until vegetables are soft.

4.Mix the cooked quinoa with the vegetables in the pan and enjoy!

This makes a wonderful side dish any time of the year & is on tomorrow's menu!

Have a quiet night everyone!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning....

Lav, what a great recipe. I am going to try it soon.

Dill, glad you had fun but now have time to relax.

Baby now has a rash, so don't know what is going on. But, he feels better, so that is good. It was great to be able to be there, all of me. You know what I mean. Have a great day.

[Lavande]

Good Tuesday morning friends

I'm seeing lots of sunshine despite the weather folks predicting a mostly cloudy day.

SnoopStar, I'm glad your grandson is feeling better. I think every kid I know has developed one of those generic rashes after having a viral event. Nothing to worry about really, just disconcerting to new parents.

I am going to hit Curves again, this time to actually get some exercise
I hope everyone has a fantastic AF day!!!

Lav

[FlyAway]

Hello Abbers! Good morning all. It's kind of gloomy here today. Boy, I've really been noticing how short the days are getting. It was dark so early last night that I was yawning and ready for bed by 8pm!

Vacation was nice. Not great weather for the first few days, but we didn't let that stop us. I hiked and moved more in that week than I have in the past 6 months. I was surprised at how much I could do! I need to be more active overall. I've had about 20 pounds creep onto my frame in the past year that I'd like to lose.

Lav, I had to laugh at your comment about Will keeping his pants on! I'm glad to hear that business is picking up. You've made me curious about millet and quinoa.

Snoopy/Star, these name changes are hard on me! I'm glad to hear that the little one seems to be getting better. I feel better eating lower carbs too.

Dill, I've got two grandkids and they do wear you out. I can't imagine having kids at this age. I know what you mean about having to be on at all times. DH told me that they were most likely coming for two days over Thanksgiving and I'm glad, but at the same time thought about how much harder this was going to make cooking dinner for everyone.

Cyn/Tree, I hope you can get the name thing resolved. I'm sorry to read that you're in pain. Take some time and your seat will be waiting for you when you're feeling better.

[dill]

Lav, that quinoa stuffing/side dish sounds delish! I'll have to give it a try soon. What kind of mushrooms did you use? I looked at the spinach/egg/millet recipe you mentioned and plan on making it this weekend. Glad you got something from my link and tested it for me! LOL. As far as the keeping the pants on statements, I took you quite literally on that. My nephew had a real problem with that issue at age 3-4, much to his poor mother's dismay and embarrassment in public places.

Fly, welcome back! I'm glad you had a good time and got lots of exercise. I too have had some weight creep on this year but fortunately only around 5 pounds. Still, it all settles in my middle making my pants feel uncomfortable. I need to get out and move! I've been noticing the shorter days, too. I used to look forward to the short days of winter because I felt like it gave me an excuse to stay home in the evenings and drink wine. It's a bit triggery for me actually. I checked for the time change and it takes place on November 2nd.

Star, I'm glad your grandson is feeling better! Were you actually at your daughter's to help out or mostly just keeping tabs by phone? Yes, it is wonderful to be present and be able to function and be a support....I know exactly what you mean.

Hello Papmom and Ms. Tree.

I've been having a splendidly quiet day and have been enjoying my solitude immensely. Tomorrow and the next day I have engagement that will get me out and about, but today is nice. Sometimes I fear I could become a hermit! Have a peaceful AF evening.

[Lavande]

Welcome back Fly
Glad you had a good vacation in the great outdoors!!
I'm with you on that 20 pounds - where did it come from & why won't it go away? LOL
I know for a fact that 15 of them are menopause pounds & the other 5 are leftover from when I quit smoking. Just can't budge them.

Dill, honestly - we are beginning to wonder about Will & his non-stop desire to show everyone his stuff
I told him right out that if he kept his pants on that I would give him a reward. Bribes are good things sometimes!!!!!
I usually just use white button mushrooms for dishes like that. They pick up the flavors of everything else in the pan.
I have access to really fresh mushrooms & I think that's a big help. I never use canned mushrooms imported from China, yuck. I made that dish tonight to go along with some leftover turkey meatloaf - good!

Have a good night everyone!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning to all...

Had a great day yesterday, conference on interesting topics. Love the change of pace. Grandson still has rash and low grade fever but goes to doctor today.

Dill, they were at my house when the baby got sick, so I was there helping. It was stressful, but still glad to be able to be there for her and all of them.

Lav, I agree that when they are little bribing them is OK. LOL

Fly, lucky you on a vacation, great you had so much fun and got exercise. What a mood lifter.

Back to work today, it's Wednesday!!!