May Magic

[dill]

Speaking of crackpot/crockpot cooking, this crackpot put some apples, sugar, cornstarch, butter and cinnamon in the crockpot today and made some fabulous Crockpot "Fried Apples". It was decilious and a nice side to our grilled chicken. I borrowed your Italian dressing marinade idea, Star and it turned out great!

Pauly, I am quite sure that your crabby attitude is a outgrowth of those meds, on top of feeling lousy to begin with! Hope you start feeling tiptop really soon.

Star, I will read Misty some time this summer. You know, I never read National Velvet and I think it is because I saw the movie instead. I imagine you saw it too, did you?

Lav, I hope your DIL made it home safely and with out a hitch. You do sound busy with all those animals! My grandkids just left and I am in recovery mode: feet up, Ipad on my lap, tall glass of ice water by my side.

Greetings Cyn and Papmom.

My son was here for the grill out today. We took a moment in honor of the memory of his friend and two other soldiers who died in the IED explosion that my son thankfully survived in October 2006 just before their tour was to end. I feel deeply grateful and at the same time, saddened for the loss of so many young heroes. May their families and loved ones find peace.

[paulywogg]

Sounds yummy Dill I made hubs grill burgers, nothing fancy but I got jealous of customers talking about their bbq's

[Lavande]

Just a quick stop to let everyone know I made it through the day but it was rough, ha ha!!!
My DIL didn't get home until 3 am, yikes! She dropped the boys off around 10 this morning....long day!
YB & son return from their fishing trip tomorrow afternoon. Wonder if they ran into Papmom up there on New England

Dill, the boys asked me today why my flag was out. I tried to explain it in a way they would understand. I showed them pictures on Facebook of the parade in town that they missed. I'm glad your son shared the holiday with his family :hug:

Star, intensive self-care will fix us up - just takes a little time, LOL
Just a couple days of crappy eating, poor sleep, etc really messes me up. Glad you have a solid plan to turn things around!

Pauly, I'm not into juicing either although some people really get the benefit. We're all different. I do better on 2 meals/day, 3 meals always leaves me feeling bloated & miserable. Give yourself time to clear the ear infection, drink lots of water, tea (decaf for the most part).

Greetings Cyn & the ever busy Papmom

Time for me to call it a day!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Yesterday turned out pretty nice, so we spent some time in the yard. Nothing is ever easy, so of course digging around our porch was a nightmare, filled with roots of trees that were cut down. I was able to plant a few roses (knockout) and hope they make it. Plus planted two pots with petunias. Nothing fancy, but now I get to water them all daily till they take.

Dill, I never read National Velvet and no movie either. I don't know why. Loved the way you honored your son and his friends for their service to our country.

Lav, whew, what a big day, you deserve a reward!!! Sounds fun though.

Pauly, hope you feel better.

Hello to Cyn and Pap.

[Lavande]

Good Tuesday morning Star & everyone!

The heat, humidity & T storms will be making an appearance today SO I need to get some stuff done early. A trip to Curves is top on my list today!

I love roses Star, hope your new ones do well

Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Tuesday,

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies, Lav,the day sounds exhausting, but I a good way Dill,did you use green apples or just regular? I think I'm gonna try that,it sounds good, if I can resist topping it with ice cream haha,work was slow as I predicted yesterday but oh well,today is a new day, off to fix my face and fro for work, hope everyone has a nice Tuesday

[treegirl]

Hello all! Quick note to say I'm glad to see made a special weekend for themselves and family. Dill and Lav - your families are so lucky to have you two as 'matriarchs'. Lav, I hope that you can bounce back from all that craziness, sounds heavy-duty to me! Dill, I knew you would honor your son in a special way. Yes, such sad thoughts of the young, brave lives lost.

Pap, hope you are OK. Pauly - I hope that you feel better soon. Star - so glad that you were able to enjoy some summer planting - sorry it was a trial, it's always interesting when you have a new yard. Good for you for your self-care plan. I didn't know you and Lav had read 'You can heal your Life' - it was one of my first books in that realm - I think it was in the 80s. I've loved her ever since. When I have time to listen to radio again, I'm hoping to get a subscription to Hay House - I know that was a big part of Chill's transformation.

I was in NYC working again yesterday, and pretty much spent Sat and Sun working on a different project. I'm trying to meet these goals so that I will be OK with taking time off in June for HB's birthday trip. I'm crossing fingers that all will work.

HB helped me early this morning, and we got newspaper and mulch spread on the dastardly flower bed close to the house that harbors the ticks. Hope it helps! HB was a huge help - I hate to have him work outside, as a case of Lyme could be deadly for him, but I really couldn't manage it alone, and we'll do a thorough tick-check on him. In the meantime, that got done before 8:30, and I'm relieved!

Just got back from an appt with my naturopath/functional medicine person - I had to cancel the last appt, and I have not been feeling well. I have some new supps and she confirmed a few things and gave me some good advice - guess what, self-care!

Jumping into work with both feet now. I'm wishing all a great return to work today, and a happy evening.

[dill]

Pauly, the ingredients called for granny smith apples. I didn't have any on hand so I used a little lemon juice for tartness. Anyway, it's 3 lbs apples, 1 cup sugar mixed with 3TBS cornstarch and tsp cinnamon. Dot with 1-2 TBS butter. Hope you like it. Yes, it is good on ice cream!

Cyn, I was changing the sheets on my bed today when I noticed a tiny black dot on the bed skirt. Hmmm, I thought, Is that what I think it is?. Well, upon closer inspection, YES! It was a tick! Yiikes. We were outside most of yesterday, so it must have come in on my clothing.

Star, Love knockout roses! I bet it all will look so pretty!

Lav, I am currently under a severe thunderstorm watch. Looks like a huge batch of storms headed our way. We do need the rain, but would prefer not all the drama!!!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Very difficult day yesterday. My Dad is in the hospital, fluid on his lungs, I know it is from the darn cancer treatments. No one wants to hear that, but the truth is that he felt perfectly healthy till he went to the doctor and had tests, radiation, and chemo. He has been sick ever since. Beware of doctors. If you are feeling healthy, avoid our medical system. I cannot do anything about it, but wanted to vent. Made it through work, thank goodness I have somewhere to go, other things to think about. I am going through grief and need time to work through my feelings, this will not end well.

Cyn, busy times for you, I know you enjoy your work, home duties, and being busy. Balance is key but not always possible. Where are you planning on taking a trip in June? Isn't it so great to have warmer weather?

Dill, I have that recipe, it is delicious. We had some storms too and need the rain.

Lav, enjoyed planting my roses, now I need to water them for a few weeks till they take root.

Pauly, moving is an adventure, I am still recovering from my two moves. My closet and room are a mess, not my usual style. I need to go through everything, toss and pack what I don't use. I do love my new house though.

Have a great hump day.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Hump day!

I have to admit I am dragging this morning. I think I am well done after this past week.
To top it off YB & son arrived yesterday with 20 pounds of fresh fish fillets. Somehow it's my job to do something with them today, oh boy!

Star, I am sorry to hear about your Dad, but it's such a typical scenario. Chemo is so harsh on the entire body, especially the heart. Developing CHF is fairly common in older adults receiving chemo. Perhaps he will choose to forgo more treatments. I'm sorry you have to deal with this, I know it's rough :hug:

Dill, it's cloudy, warm & humid here, I imagine your T storms will be arriving at some point. Hope you didn't have any damage!! The flooding in Texas & the Midwest has been terrible.

Cyn, Louise Hay's story was inspiring to me. I watched her film/videos years ago when I was needing hope & support., Her message really spoke to me. Glad you got to see your naturopath. I think I function as my own naturopath, ha ha. Some day I will find a real one

Papmom, you have been one busy individual judging by your Facebook posts

Pauly, I've made Dill's crockpot apples - delicious!

OK, time to mess up my kitchen with all this fish. Fish cakes will be filling up my freezer!!!!
Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies, Snoop,sorry about all your dad's going through, Lav is right that chemo is so rough on the body,hugs to you I have a full house right now with my daughter from Portland and her boyfriend arrived yesterday, although its nice to have them here,it sort of messes up my routine and makes me feel anxious, is that weird?plus all the chatter,I'm used to our usually quiet,besides Louie of course household, maybe I'm just a grouchy person and I have to work with my most unliked coworker today,grrr,I'd say hate but I'm trying to be somewhat a better person, hope everyone has a nice Wednesday

[Lavande]

Sometimes going to work can be a great escape Pauly - I remember
Try to enjoy the company, just go with the flow!

Well, thankfully it turned out to be only 10 lbs of fish, not the 20 I had feared, ha ha.
Still I spent the day in the kitchen, made 47 fish cakes. Gave half of them to my son since he was on the fishing trip. I'm so damn nice, LOL
Tomorrow I will be watching kids after school until bedtime - oh boy!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Lav, I bet the fish is tasty! Not sure what fish cakes consist of, but I love fresh fish. Thanks for the support regarding my Dad. I am frustrated, I know the radiation damaged his lungs, probably forever, and he felt fine before any treatment. Sorry, I just can't get over that piece. He is getting really poor treatment, no continuity of care, and I am unable to help,not having been asked. So, I am trying to detach and not care, but it is just not working very well. I decided after work to do a little retail therapy and with coupons, bought new pillows for my couch and a new afghan and after all the deals, only spent $26. So, THAT made me happy and I have a new look. Whatever it takes, right?

Dill, living in the Midwest as you do, I was surprised that we missed the rain. So, out and watering last night. I love my knockout roses. Summer/spring brings so much hope and beauty. Reading a really dumb book, but have to finish it, then downloaded a few from a sight called Book Bub with books less expensive. So, reading alot right now.

Cyn, hope you are doing well.

Pauly, mixed feelings huh? I get the same way when my kid or kids come to visit. We are used to peace, quiet, cleanliness. The minute one of them walks in the door, they throw their keys, coats, stuff, all over the house. The noise level goes up significantly, lots of eating, kitchen and all cups are used up. Kind of funny really. I think that is one of the reasons I got stressed when they were teens. What I described was all the time. If feels crowded, but also lots of love, so that is the trade-off, right? I get that piece too, sometimes I feel nervous before visitors cause I know how it will go. When they leave, I feel sad, so clean up, do laundry and notice the quiet.

Hello to Pap!

Another warm day, yay!!!

[dill]

I thought I posted yesterday, but apparently I thought wrong! The problem was that I had to get moving early as I promised a friend I would go with her on some errands and some shopping. She is a widow and does not like all the time she spends alone, not one bit. Her kids are grown and gone all the way to the west coast, so her life is very, very staid and quiet. Anyway, after I read Star's post in the morning I left the computer and got on the road and quite forgot to come back and post!

Star, :hug: I am so sorry for what your Dad is going thru, and you by extension. It's so hard, I know. I'm glad you got a little retail therapy in. I know simple things like a new pillow/throw can do a lot to lift one's spirits. The bad storms have missed our immediate area but there was some wind damage near by. Luckily we got a little rain the night before last, but not a significant amount. I'll have to water today.

Pauly, I feel the exact same way when my daughter comes to visit. I love the time with her and her family but the house is out of my control and I just have to let it go. Easier said than done! The kitchen is the hardest! Like you, I have the grandchildren over a lot and that takes some getting used to after all my years as an empty nester. But the time frame is limited and I and Mr. D are still more or less in control of the activity, if that makes any sense. I truly love to have them in our lives but I also dearly love to send them home! LOL!

Lav, I am pleading ignorance on "fish cakes". I have had crab cakes from the local seafood shop at Kroger's, but never made one myself. Is a fish cake much the same thing? It sounds like you will be a busy lady today. Are the schools in your area done for the summer? My grandson has 4 more days.

Hello Cyn and Papmom.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

Hot, humid, overcast & just not nice out, oh well. I think this weather pattern is going to be hanging around for a while too.
If you ever get stuck with 10 lbs of haddock fillets here's what you do: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipe...-Haddock-Cakes
They turned out nice looking but I can't eat them.....I used real dairy products, ha ha!

Star, your Dad is still in the hospital? His needs should be assessed by a social worker, dietician & others before discharge. Discharge planning is important to ensure continuity of care. I imagine he will be under the care of a cardiologist as well. I know how difficult it is trying to provide loving care from a distance, hang in there :hug:

I have some work stuff to do this morning but not until I get myself to Curves. I'll be on afternoon/evening shift with my grandsons. I didn't sleep real well & my younger dog had some problem & had to go out twice during the night, geez.

Greetings Dill, Cyn, Papmom & Pauly!
Have a great AF Thursday everyone.

Lav

Edited to say HI DILL