Nippy November

[SnoopyC]

Good morning,

Can't believe it is November already, and a cold one to top it off.

Let's make this month another one of being AF and being there for ourselves, our families, friends, and everyone in our lives. A toast to AF living.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

What a Halloween, we had snow. Yes, snow. It was so cold and wet, crazy. Too cold for me. I hope it is not an omen for the upcoming winter season.

Had fun, nice to have a day off.

Lav, glad you are getting better, wish it was faster.

Dill, it is tricky recommending books, I have to go back to the library today, got a few books and just did not like them. So back to find some good ones.

I have to work on my winter clothes, getting them out and putting away the summer stuff. Whew, lots to do today, plus clean, pay bills, and either cook or get take out. Football tonight too. Hope everyone had a good Halloween, officially November. New thread, I just thought of it.

[dill]

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice.”
― Octavia E. Butler, Bloodchild and Other Stories

Star, thanks for starting our November thread. It sure did sneak up on me! I have spent the last 15 minutes trying to make a good title and I finally gave up. I was just going to call it November AF. But by the time I finished all my research for adjectives starting with "N" and came back to simply open a new thread with no special name, there you were! And it is perfect as it is indeed Nippy out there this first day of November!

I was looking for a quote on persistence and found several good ones, but the one above somehow seemed to really get at the nub of AF. It is new habits replacing the old and habit strength is what rules the day, IMO. You can get a craving but if you have af habits in place the craving is much more easily cast off.

I have been engrossed in a show called Homeland. It's a series on HBO but I only just started watching it, so we have been getting DVDs from the library. We're half way thru season 3 now. I love being able to watch a series this way. I love the library and always have. I'm amazed when I talk to someone and find out that they never use the library. I developed a love for it as a child. Loved to ride my bike to the library and spend time picking out a good book. And now you can pick out books and videos too. It's a great, great resource! It's one of the few places I feel my tax money is well directed.

Have a great AF weekend.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends & Nippy November it is!!!

43 degrees, rain & wind out there today - oh boy!
We had a fire in the fireplace last night, first of the season.

I have lots to do today too Star - all the things you mentioned. I'll do what I can do but refuse to stress myself out

Dill, I also have fond memories of walking or riding my bike to the library as a child. I lost interest in it as I got older & got into trading trashy paperbacks with friends & relatives, LOL
All of the local libraries are now part of county-wide systems. I don't even have a membership to the county where I now live. I spoil myself with Netflix & Amazon memberships so I can download & read books or watch movies instantly without having to wait I am happy to see my kids taking their kids to their libraries often just like I did when they were young.

Well, I wish everyone a great AF Saturday regardless of the weather! I hop ewe all get & enjoy that extra hour of sleep tonight

Lav

[treegirl]

Nippy here too, folks! But no snow for us, though it was predicted. Thanks Star for getting us going. Lav - sorry you don't feel better, hope that happens soon. Dill - thank you for that quote. I really needed that encouragement today - it's so easy to tell yourself that you have to wait for inspiration. When you're self-employed, that's deadly! Habit is much much better. Pap - I'd love the fishmeatloaf recipe, if you don't mind sharing. I home cook for my pups as well, but have been using a canned fish food from Wellness. Horrible smell! Would love to have some options. Thanks for the good wishes for the pups - they seem to be coping better. I thought of you in the middle of the night, Lav - 2:30 boy dog had to go poop, 3:45 girl dog had to pee and then go out again and throw up. Since she's on-leash for the time being, we both had to go out (tho I didn't pee or throw up...). Hoping for more sleep tonight! Cheers all for a great AF Saturday night -

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

What is it with these animals? My cat keeps waking me up for her canned food and I get really annoyed. But she is good, goes in the litter box and is easy. Animals are just work. Went to a yoga class yesterday and I am so sore. whew. I was able to get all my stuff done and even made a good dinner, so had a pretty nice day. Just lonely, no friends here in my new life. Work people I know, but I have not met up with female to hang out with. I don't think it comes easy as you get older.

Did you remember to turn your clocks back one hour? I did last night except for my wristwatch, that will be done today.

Dill, habit is are lives. I think if we want to be AF, we do have to make it a habit, rather then drinking, and that is why it sometimes takes a little while to master the new habit. I like how some people notice how they have changed over the months, not 100% but really making progress. I understand with addiction it is dangerous, but everyone is different and to have the desire and to take action is change.

Lav, hope you are feeling better today. It was cold but sunny yesterday, so much better than Halloween. All the snow melted, thank goodness. Anything fun planned today? I am sure football is on my list today. And soup. Can you send the link or recipe for your mushroom soup? I would really appreciate it.

Cyntree, so great to hear from you. Yes, being self-employed takes alot of self-motivation and just plain determination. Getting into a routine is so helpful, just as with being AF. Having a plan and following it...

Hey Pap, hope you are having a great weekend.

[Lavande]

Good morning kids!

I was up bright & early just as predicted ~ dumb dogs, LOL
Just heard it's going down to 28 degrees tonight. I think I'd better get myself out to fix the door on the chicken house again. Their little hatch door keeps clogging up with debris & it's gets to the point where I can't close it properly.

Looks like I'll be entertaining my grandsons for dinner & the evening while their Dad works & Mom is out Christmas shopping. I must prepare myself mentally!!

Cyn, sorry you had to step outside in the darkness with your doggie! Boy, that brings back memories of just a few years ago when Matilda was a pup. At this point I just open the door & let them roam because they don't go too far. If I ever win the lottery I will fence off the entire 2 1/2 acres - believe me! Hope you had a better night

Star, I just used a recipe from AllRecipes for the Hungarian mushroom soup but it's good. I use a non-dairy substitute for the sour cream but it's still good. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hungarian-mushroom-soup/
No snow here just rain yesterday & plenty of wind.

Greetings to Dill, Papmom & Fly. I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Lav

[dill]

Hi AF Friends, just a quick check in for me. It's been a cold but sunny day and has passed pleasantly. I used to be in the habit of drinking most of my Sundays away, but thankfully that habit has been replaced! I still do much the same activities as I did before, I just do them with a clear head and a present heart!

Lav, Star, Cyn, Fly, Papmom, I wish you all a peaceful AF Sunday eveninging.

[SnoopyC]

Monday, Monday....

Back to work today, luckily the weather is warming up again, in the 50s-60s. It was really brisk out. We visited an outdoor park yesterday and it was a great plae to walk but pretty cold, I am not used to it yet. Still, it was fun to be outside and felt so good. I attended two yoga classes this weekend and feel kind of sore, but want to commit to more exercise. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Lav, thanks for the recipe, I looked it up and it has great reviews! Always appreciate your food ideas.

Dill, I am reading a book about Julia Child, I saw part of the movie Julie and Julia Saturday and realized I loved the movie and would like to know more about Julia Child. She was actually a very interesting person so enjoying reading.

Pap, you were probably super busy, hope you are doing well. Hello to Treegirl (aka Cyn)

Have a good Monday.

[treegirl]

Happy Monday all -

Good to hear how everyone's weekend went, AF. Congrats Dill for changing the energy surrounding your Sunday activities - what a beautiful statement. Star - very impressive to do 2 yoga sessions in one weekend! I hope that you connect with one of your yoga class people - at least you know you have one thing in common!

Lav - 2 years ago we fenced in a portion of the backyard. We have an interesting system of doggy doors - one that gets them past sliding glass doors that go out onto a screened porch, and the next one gets them out on the deck. Then they go down 6 steps to the 'doggy yard'. It's been great to have, but girl dog can't go down so many steps, so right now we're stuck going out the front door and down just 2 steps. But we have a nice front entry light that keeps us on course. How was taking care of your 2 gkids? Bet you are tired this morning! What product do you use instead of sour cream? I'm really wanting something 'creamy' these days, but can't figure out what dairy-free alternative might work.

I made butternut squash in the pressure cooker yesterday - 10 minutes and done, then mixed w/a little olive oil, salt and honey - holy cow, I almost ate the whole batch at once! Not so fun peeling the squash, but then it was speedy...

Wishing everyone well in their work today, greeting PMom and Fly and anyone else stopping by - Happy AF-ness -

[treegirl]

PS - listened to a Diane Rehm show yesterday, with the author of 'Wars of the Roses' (Dan something), it just came out. Sounds like a great read for those of us who like history...

[Lavande]

Greetings friends!

Met with the vampire at 8:45 this morning then went straight to Curves. Stopped to pick up some chicken, making Teriyaki chicken in the crockpot for tonight. Daughter & granddaughter are on the way for a visit. Geez- all that & it's not quite noon yet
The grandsons were fairly low-keyed last night. They are both dealing with coughs & colds. The youngest just wanted to sit & watch Thomas videos ~ fine.

Cyn, one of these days I'll get something fenced for these dogs. YB moans that it would interfere with his high speed grass cutting on the tractor.
I use a variety of things in place of 'cream' when cooking. There's 'Tofutti' which is a sour cream like soy based product. Sometimes I use coconut cream & sometimes I soak raw cashews then toss them into the blender. They all work, just depends on what you're cooking

Hi there Star & Dill. Nice on the yoga classes Star.
Dill, I used to drink my way thru Sundays too, but that's all history now
Hello to the busy papmom. Fly - where are you?

Have a great rest of the day everyone!

Lav

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

I thought Fly said she was going on a vacation. Maybe not.

Just work today, nothing too exciting. Leaving for my conference after work so will check in on Thursday, probably.

Tree, I feel sorry for the people living during the Wars of the Roses, they had everything destroyed in their countries over and over due to big egos about who was to rule the country. Royalty are parasites, in my opinion. But interesting history for sure.

Hey Lav, have fun with family. A sad thing I learned yesterday. One of my kid's past friends died yesterday, drug/alcohol related. Very sad but not surprising as they had heavy use in the past. I am kind of stunned nonetheless.

Dill, Sundays spent drinking are Mondays feeling so sick and sad. Sober Sundays are so much better.

Have a great Tuesday all.

[dill]

CynTree, that recipe sounds delicious but I am sure I would be too lazy to peel the squash! LOL! Kudos to you my . Did you mix it with the honey, olive oil and salt before you cooked it, or after? I have very little experience with pressure cooking but I am learning. When you mentioned The War of the Roses I first thought you were referring to the 1989 film by that name. So I googled and found the book that is just released in October. It looks very interesting and got lots of good reviews.

Star, I saw the movie Julia and Julia some time ago and I did enjoy it. She definitely had an interesting life story. Unfortunately for me my memories of the SNL skits of her are an over-riding memory! Did you see them? I hope you enjoy your conference. See you when you get back.

Lav, Chicken Teriyaki in the crockpot? Now you’ve caught my interest! I thawed out a bunch of chicken yesterday and then didn’t get a chance to fix it because we ended up going out to pick up the grand kids at dinner time and they asked us to get a pizza. Now I have a bunch of thawed boneless skinless chicken I need to do something with! I’m going to google teriyaki-chicken-crockpot! LOL!

Hi Fly and Papmom

I'm unexpectedly busy with grand daughter today. She decided to spend the day and another night with Nana and Pop Pop!

[treegirl]

Evening all -
What a gorgeous day here - 67 degrees?! I had to go outside at 5 AM with the dogs, but it gave me the chance to see the most beautiful sky - peach/gold clouds against a lightening blue and vibrant leaves.

Star, sorry to hear about your kid's friend. How very sad. I hope that your conference experience is good. The 'Wars of the Roses' apparently has interesting women in it - including the 13 year old who bore a son who eventually became king, and lots of other strong women. Sounds like an interesting read. Dill - it really wasn't too terrible to peel the squash - I'm still enjoying the dish. I love the pressure cooker - so fast for beans, squash, lots of stuff. I cut up the squash into 2 inch pieces, cooked it for 10 minutes, dumped it out, put in the seasonings and mashed it with a potato masher. Voila! Lav, the teriyaki chicken sounds darn good - thanks for the 'creamy' ideas. PMom - hope you are taking care of yourself. All is getting back to normal here - girl dog stronger, and seems ready to resume her old life. Sutures not out until Friday, though. Fly, hope you are well --
Take care all -