Judicious January

[dill]

Lav, I think the Farm Show will be fun! I have never been to one because Mr. D usually goes to the Ohio State Farm Show with his farming buddies. I am invited along but I don't go. I think it is better for him to have some "guy time". Mr. D is very friendly and outgoing, but never-the-less, he makes few opportunities for himself to socialize apart from family or anything I might set up. Whenever anything comes up that is an opportunity for him to get off on his own, which is rare, I step back from it and wave goodbye! Is Mr. L like that too? Or does he get out fairly regularly with male companions? Anyway, have fun!

Star, nothing exciting for me this weekend, but that's pretty much just how I like it! How about you? Lately I have been in a slump when it comes to meal preparation. I just haven't felt like cooking! I think I'll try today to get motivated to cook because we have been eating out way too much. I'm trying to lose my Christmas weight and eating out does not help with that effort! I find that I need to make my plan for the evening meal in the morning. If I wait until later in the day I can't seem to come up with anything!

Cyn, interesting stuff you mentioned about the liver. I had no idea that it did most of it's work when one is sleeping, but that makes sense. Think of all those years we filled ourselves full of alcohol, burdening our livers with an extra load of toxins so it could never completely get it's job done before we were awake and starting a new day! I wonder if the liver had anything to do with the waking in the wee hours of the morning gripped in panic with heart racing. Maybe it was the liver screaming, "I'm not going to make the deadline!" LOL

Papmom, I'm glad you set yourself up for a few days of a clean break before starting your new job. It's kind of like shifting into neutral and coasting a while before gearing up again. I'm glad Mickey is doing better, too. Yes, that afghan pattern involved working with two skeins at a time. I worked one row across, then went back to the beginning of that row and worked the next row in another color. At the end of the second row, I turned the work and picked up the first color again. It may sound complex, but it was really an extremely easy pattern.

Poor Mr. D is still feeling very badly. He couldn't sleep last night. His new symptom is teeth pain. He says it is extremely uncomfortable. It probably means a sinus infection. He seems reticent to go to the doctor. Poor thing.

I am googling do-it-yourself bath salts today. I like to take hot baths with scented bath salts. I ran out of the one I was given as a gift. It was from Bath and Body Works so I went yesterday to buy some more. It was so expensive! I thought surely this can be made cheaply and easily at home! So, today will be a day of research. Have a peaceful AF Friday.

[treegirl]

Happy Friday all!

Lav - hope your day at the farm show goes well - do tell us what you see there, I'm curious! I love to read the Farmer's Almanac and see all the ads for things that I have no idea what they do. Hope you continue to feel better.

Dill - beautiful afghan! Love the colors, and you have such even stitching. Is this one for you or for someone else? So sorry to hear that Mr Dill isn't doing very well. Take a page out of Lav's book, and research sinus infections and Apple Cider Vinegar. My HB had several courses of antibiotics once for sinus, and nothing kicked it out. I finally begged him to go off of wheat and dairy (for a while) and take a mixture of ginger tea/ACV/ honey/and drops of grapeseed oil (I think). Anyway - it worked. Big immune booster. Also for you - think about Epsom Salts with some lavendar essential oil sprinkled in. Epsom is a wonderful detox-er, and the lavendar oil is so relaxing. Pretty cheap, once you've invested in the oil essence. Good luck!

Pap - congrats on everything. Dill put it so well - you are so smart to put yourself in 'neutral' for a few days before starting the new job. Enjoy your rare weekend off.

Star - hi there, hope you are doing OK. I'm sure you're looking forward to the weekend, but are filling it up with duties...

Whoever said I was lucky to be able to rest right away when I felt bad is correct. I think sleep is crucial to strong immune health (Dill, your description of your liver shouting out in the middle of the night was hysterical!). I have been sleeping very poorly - not exactly sure why - but being able to take those 2 hours of rest must have been important.

Dill - I hear ya - I'm grateful for yarn too! And fingers to work the yarn...

Wishing all a good Friday -

[Lavande]

Well, guess who changed HIS mind & decided not to go to the farm show after all??
I swear, he can drive you crazy. I really don't give a fig about missing the farm show (honestly). It's the never knowing what he wants that bugs me the most! He texted me from work a few times yesterday, came after work still talking about going, then suddenly, for no apparent reason changes his mind. And that's after taking the day off today to go!!!! Enough.

I ended up filling my day/evening with the grandsons & DIL. They're always good for a laugh, Ha Ha/

Greetings Dill, Star, Cyn & Papmom.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Dill, my son is sick with a fever, he must have caught whatever is going around. I kind of have a sore throat, so will baby myself today. Geez, what is wrong with these germs, they need to leave us alone! I slept form 8 at night till 5:30 a.m., I must have needed it. Hope your hubby feels better. My husband also does not do much besides family. He has people he talks to, but is not interested in hanging out with the guys, unless it might be to golf. That's ok with me. I liked Cyn's idea of making your own bath salts with Epsom salts and lavender oil. I can barely wait till I have a useable tub again. I love a warm bath in the winter, so relaxing! Don't know if I mentioned this but I was having difficulty thinking of what to make for dinner and here is what I did. I wrote down every dish I could think of that I have made over the years. I came up with about 23 standard dishes, and I have been choosing a few each week. We have alot of leftovers as I don't feel like cooking on work nights. I made a separate list for crock pot meals. Maybe that could be helpful. We decided we will have one cheat meal a week, Friday night. Pizza last night and I was stuffed. I have only lost five of the ten pounds I gained since August when I moved. Part of it was going out to eat. No more for us, or at least, more controlled as in once a week.

Lav, your husband, he crazy! Really, that would make me so irritated. I could see where it truly was not that big a deal, just the change of mind. How nice family came over to spend time together! I am so looking forward to living closer to my daughter and her family. It will be so much easier to visit, go out for pizza on a Friday night, babysit at their place, or whatever. Two more weeks.

Cyn, I have a bit of a sore throat so will take naps throughout the day as I pack and consume lots of vitamin C. Darn, I do not need to get another virus now. Cyn, I want to try your mix of ACV/ginger tea/honey but I have no grapeseed oil, and what it it? Ginger tea will be made later today, with fresh ginger. Whew, it sounds powerful. Thanks for sharing.

Pap, enjoy your time off, good idea. I like the fact that you are going to try a little makeup again. A good sign that you are know you are looking good and want to enhance your natural good looks. Ha, I always wear a little make up. I was taught, do the most with what you've got. Isn't that so funny and old fashioned? But I do feel better when I look better. I have to say, working with younger people is really making me conscious of my health and age, but in a good way. They are all health conscious, work out or run, eat small portions. I am trying, still have a long way to go. So excited for you in your new job. Sounds like you were appreciated in your last job, just a really bad boss. That makes a huge difference.

Very appreciative today on waking up on a Saturday and feeling good, due to being AF. I've been reading on the threads alot and the suffering that goes on....don't ever want to go back there. The comments about the liver and functioning...think when you drink your sleep is disrupted, so your liver never gets a chance to do its work, and on and on. I think that thinking it through, till the end and realizing that one or two hours of being buzzed is not worth 48 hours or more of being anxious, shamed, sick, shakey, nauseated, achy; it is just not worth it. So, today, lets all enjoy our freedom to feel good, get things done or not, and celebrate life.

[treegirl]

Happy Saturday all -

Lav - glad that you made lemonade out of those lemons yesterday! Sheesh, kind of a roller-coaster, huh? I live with that a little too - but it's never about NOT doing something, it's always about adding some activity in. At the last minute. Drop everything and let's go! Not so convenient - but now I see it as the universe letting me practice setting boundaries!

Star - sorry about the sore throat - go slow today? I wrote the wrong ingredient in the tea recipe - I couldn't remember the right name for 'Grapefruit Seed extract'. It's a very powerful anti-oxidant, comes in liquid forms - just a few drops are supposed to be potent. But I wouldn't go searching for it - I think the main thing with the tea is the ACV and ginger. Do a couple of searches for ACV and you'll see all sorts of recipes for tea, etc. Hope you feel better soon.

Dill - hope you are OK and hanging in. Pap - enjoy your 'free' weekend.

Really cold here again last night - the dogs are NOT happy with this weather, and anything off-road is ice-encrusted snow...girl dog won't even consider getting out of the car to try a walk. Bah humbug, she says!

I'm off to get ready to go to the city today. 6 hour commute to work 2 hours for this client, but oh well - it's the project I have right now. I'll work on some embroidery on the train - found an almost-done project for a friend that I 'lost' a long time ago - that will be nice to get done and sent off!

Wishing all a great Saturday --

[Lavande]

Good Saturday morning friends!

Sunny & a chilly 18 degrees at the moment but not complaining!

Star, you are an early riser, that's for sure. A decent night's sleep is awesome.
Glad you got the meal planning under control. That was always a tiresome thing for me when I was working full time.
Appreciating our long term AF'ness is wonderful & vital to maintaining ourselves I think. Complacency is a killer & needs to be avoided at all costs.
As far as YB goes, I think yesterday's behavior about says it all. He will never be happy with anything so there's no use in worrying about it - at least that's my opinion.

Papmom, we cross posted the other day - didn't see your post until just now.
Glad your last day was a good one
Great job on the makeover, always a nice treat!
I spend a few minutes addressing my face each morning, makes me feel better, ha ha. For at least ten years now I've used mineral makeup - so easy to brush on & forget about it for the rest of the day. It covers well & doesn't clog up my pores. Lip color at this age is important too as we tend to lose it as we age. Good for you, have fun

Hi Dill & Cyn!
I use lavender essential oil for lots of things around here - love the stuff, makes me happy

Have a great AF Saturday everyone!

Lav

[dill]

Cyn, thanks for the suggestion of epsom salt and a few drops of lavendar. It's definitely more affordable than what I bought the other day! Most of the "recipes" I found on the internet used epsom salts but there were others who suggested using some sea salt and baking soda. I'm going to see if I can buy some course sea salt to mix with the epsom. I love lavendar. It is such a relaxing scent! I took your (and Lav's) advice and looked up ACV and sinusitis. Very interesting. Our neighbor across the road sent over a jar of home made ginger juice which Mr. D mixed with some herbal tea and honey. I sure hope you get some good sleep soon. I hate it when I have insomnia. Lucky for me that occurs very rarely.

Star, I like your suggestion of writing down a list of go-to favorite dishes. It's just the ticket for helping me get out of this slump I've fallen into. Today I did a roast with onion and carrots in the crockpot and made whipped potatoes to go with it. MMMM! We order pizza on Friday nights very often, too. We got into the habit when the gkids were living here. It was something we all liked and I wouldn't have to nag at the kids to eat! LOL Sorry your son is sick. Mr. D started out with a temp, but that's gone now. He finally agreed to go see his doctor yesterday. They worked him in quickly, prescribed him antibiotic and prednisone. He responded well and is feeling much better today.

Lav, Mr. L is surely a strange bird. Never a dull moment I would guess! It's a good thing you weren't absolutely dying to go to the Farm Show.

Hi Papmom.

I was so grateful today for the break we had in the weather. We were up in the mid forties and loads of sunshine. It was muddy, but so nice. Took a long walk in the woods. It was great!

Have a peaceful AF evening.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

The news folks are warning everyone to stay in today due to black ice! Police are handling numerous accidents everywhere, swell. I have no problem staying put for a while

I made an epic dish for dinner last evening Black Bean Spaghetti with peppers & an oil & vinegar sauce - YUM
I put a picture of it on Facebook & got a lot of conversation going, Ha Ha!!!
Check it out - very healthy & just delicious.

http://www.explore-asian.com/products/organic-black-bean-spaghetti.html#.VLuxXZB0w5s

Dill, glad Mr D is feeling better! That sinus stuff will hang around forever if you don't get it treated, yuck.
Anything exciting on your to do list today?

Hi Cyn, how was your trip to NYC to see your client? How your travel was decent.

Star, my daughter's settlement is coming up on Wednesday. Last night the realtor contacted them to report that the seller has not completed all of the repairs that was agreed on & the bank has made a mistake in the mortgage paperwork!
I reminded her to breathe......these problems are typical pre-settlement drama & she doesn't need to own them. Everything will be worked out, one way or the other. Your settlement is coming up soon as well, are you hearing anything like this?
I actually worked doing real estate settlements (selling title insurance) for 18 months after I left my nursing job. Working for a friend's company was not pleasant & all that $$ drama was ridiculous. I hope your settlement goes well!

Greetings Papmom - hope you get to try that spaghetti - very good!

Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Sunday!

Lav

[treegirl]

Hello all from soggy/frozen New England. Sorry to say, this is just dreadful. First snow, then rain, then freeze to make inches deep ice craters everywhere, now rain to cover them up just enough so that you can't see them. Treacherous! my driveway is an accident waiting to happen. SD is on her way here -I told her to go slow and abort if she wants to - it's just not worth trying to negotiate all the hills and dales and windy roads.

Hb is supposed to fly in later tonight. That drive back from the airport will be interesting. Seriously, I would prefer a foot of snow and then cleared roads, this is ridiculous and scary.

OK, enough complaining. I had a good day of work and transit yesterday - no travel problems, thank goodness. It was 11 degrees when I left the house, but sunny and clear roads, so that was fine by me. I think that I am getting my old energy back; I didn't fall asleep on the train on the way home!

This morning, knowing SD was coming and HB was coming home, I did a full-court press on cleaning the house. I worked slowly and steadily from 8 until about 1: and I still feel OK! In fact, the activity was good for me, after all the sitting yesterday. I woke up feeling awful and with a terrible headache, but slowly the kinks shook out. Now we'll see if I can stay awake beyond 7 pm...

Dill, so glad to hear Mr D is going to be on the mend - sending best wishes. Enjoy your Epsom bath! It's supposed to be wonderful for de-tox as well as relaxation.

Lav - Lavender. Yep, I guessed it was an essential oil in your life! I even made up my own floor cleaner today: equal parts water, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils ( I put in peppermint and lavender). Seemed to work great. I'm concerned that the chronic bronchitis of girl dog might be from products in the house, so slowly I'm going to try to make my own. Looking forward to the spaghetti recipe.

Wishing everyone well!

[dill]

I do hope you will be careful out there Cyn, Lav and Pap! We don't need any injuries from slipping on ice!

It's a gray, damp, cold January day here in Ohio. Just run of the mill, but kind of depressing in its over all gray cast. It's a struggle to get motivated to do anything much here today.

I've read that epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate which is an essential mineral that many of us are deficient in. It is not easy to absorb when taken orally, but is better absorbed thru the skin in the form of salt baths. They say that it is best not to soak in it for more than 20 minutes tho.

Interesting that you are lookiing for DIY cleaning products, Cyn. I've started making my own laundry detergent recently. It's really affordable and works just fine!

Greetings, Star.

Have a peaceful AF Sunday evening everyone.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

I took a break from cyber space yesterday. I was reading a good book, planning all I had to do, then drove to the new house. Yes Lav, there is drama, the owners have not done what they said they would, so will we close when planned? What is up with that I wonder. So, I have alot of anxiety about that, I am planning, packing, took time off, etc., so it would pretty much blow up my world if they don't get it together. I feel for your daughter. To move twice in one year's time like I have is just total *&^%, if you ask me. I feel crabby today, I dislike January due to weather, etc. I am very pleased to have the day off though, so will focus on that. I will just keep really busy and get alot done.

Cyn, I think this weather is uncomfortable too. It did warm up here, so that has made it a little easier. The gray days just get to you after a while. I wanted to tell you I made ginger tea and ACV, drank two cups, and my sore throat disappeared over the course of the day. Thanks so much. I just cut off a chunk of ginger, peeled it, and put it in water and boiled it in the microwave for about two minutes. Whatever it was left. Again, thanks.

Dill, after I move I am going to buy Epsom salts, I have lavender, mix them up and soak. That sounds so luxurious. I am making pumpkin chili in the crock pot today, and lentil soup for the week at work. Lots of veggies, soups, salad and juices for me this week. The next few weeks will be interesting, and I want to have lots of good food to help me along. I read a really interesting book, "If Nuns Ruled the World," about modern day nuns who are out in the world, making a difference. It was so sad that the bishops did an investigation/inquistion, and were so negative. I just don't understand how the church is run by old men who are so corrupt. It is very scary. The book was about the nuns and their life journeys and it was uplifting and fascinating. At least to me.

Pap, hope your time off is going well.

Have a good day.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

Yucky looking out there but at least it's above freezing. Driveway looks icy though so I'm delaying my Curves trip a bit.
Today is my daughter's birthday & we are planning to go out for lunch if she can get here. I remember the year she was born (1977) we had a ton of snow on the ground & it was very cold

Cyn, I pretty much figure if a household cleaning product bothers me then it's no good for the dogs either. I also like using Method non-toxic products.

Hi Dill, how's your weather looking? Is your son feeling better at this point?

Star, I feel anxiety for you & my daughter re the moves but I am trusting that everything will work out OK :hug:
Got word last evening that my son & DIL are interested in a house & hope to go see it today. Geez, now I feel like I should be moving, Ha Ha!!!

Hi Papmom, did you enjoy the pap show yesterday? How's the weather in your neighborhood?

Have a great AF Monday everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Good MLK day all!

Since I worked on Saturday, and did housework before SD came yesterday, today seems like it should be Sunday! Both SD and HB made it here without incident yesterday, though the roads were treacherous all day and evening - the rain hid all the icy spots; my driveway was one frightening ice rink! Seems like today's slightly warmer temps and no precip is helping.

Star - hang in there and put good energy out there! I had a terrible situation when we were closing ( 1st of 3 moves in 14 months) - I had to have a new electrical box put in, and it was older and there was no replacement handy. When we found one, the gas company and the electric company fought over who had put the original box in the wrong place, so it was no longer 'code' where it was located. A nightmare! AND I was in the middle of a monster move professionally that was tricky; I just remember making calls whenever I could steal away from the job site - I was supposed to be packing myself up but was way behind, uuugh. Sometimes moving seems like the dark night of the soul! But it all turned out all right, and I'm sure yours will too - sending you positive energy - your daughter too, Lav!

Dill - hope that your HB and son are starting to feel better. Life can be so hard in the winter! Glad you are going to get the great benefits of an Epsom salt bath - it really is the best. I'm interested in the laundry detergent - I read something in passing, but haven't checked it out yet.

Lav - I got suet to make my own suet/seed cakes...we'll see how it goes. In the night the wind or a squirrel or something broke my finch seed feeder (plastic of course) so I'm over that. And the nyjer seed sock just leaks it all over - I'm afraid that I'm going to have a thistle crop there come spring! So....just suet cakes for everybody from now on. I've heard that's what they need the most in winter anyway - and I'm staying on the fresh water.

I'll be in the car super-early in the morning to go to a neighboring town for my thyroid ultrasound...looking forward to what they find, it would be nice to have some answers soon...though my energy keeps improving, so things must be headed in the right direction.

Wishing all a lovely eve, and a great Tuesday tomorrow ---

[dill]

Hello Cyn, looks like we're both late comers today! I watched the news last night and saw so many terrible accidents due to the black ice in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. I thought about you and Lav. I'm glad Mr. Tree and SD both arrived safely! The laundry detergent I'm making takes a bar of Fels Naptha, some washing soda and some borax. All the ingredients are found in the laundry isle and it goes a long way! I'm sure if you google you'll find the same recipe I did, but if you don't, I'll try to find my printed out version and copy it here for you. I think I can find it pretty easily.

Lav, I remember the horrible storm of the winter of '77! We had a couple of dogs that used to love to get out of our yard and run. We were constantly working on trying to keep them in. I think this may have been before the buried wire dog fences were around. (If they were around, we wouldn't have been able to affort one at that time in our young lives anyway! LOL) Well, anyway, they happened to get out the day that storm hit. The were gone for the duration of that horrible weather. When they finally came home they were both covered in little icicles! I was so worried about them, but they were ok. I'll bet that is a memory for you that will always be with you, being a new mother and going thru that horrible storm!

Star, that book sounds very interesting indeed. About the Church being run by old men, well it is what it is, that's all I can say. Power corrupts and I think that would be true of women if they were the ones in power, too. I don't want to be publicly critical of the Church or it's structure. There are enough people out there tearing down structured religion these days. I'm not saying anyone should get a pass, I just think it's human nature to fall short, no matter what position in life you hold. "To err is human..." That said, I do believe that if you and I were in charge of the Church, it would be a much better institution! :happy2::hug:: We'd be a heck of a dynamic duo! LOL! What do you think?

Papmom, good luck on your first day of your new job! I'll be thinking of you.

Both Mr. D and my son are feeling better, thanks for asking. Have a peaceful eveing.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Cyn, Pap, and Lav, hope the weather improved out East. Take care.

Cyn, your moving story sounds really anxiety provoking, but as you say, it all worked out in the end. I accomplished alot yesterday and it felt good although now I am living with boxes for the next few weeks. Yikes, I want to go to work!

Lav, hope your son and DIL move close to you so you can keep up the fun with the grandkids! Were you able to get out later in the day?

Dill, the book about the nuns was so good. I really enjoyed it. The weather here was in the 40s and sunny, I just loved it!

Pap, hope things are going well.

To all, have a good day.