June Jewels

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

Overcast & generally yucky here, waiting for 1-3" of rain to arrive. Also waiting for the ITs to arrive, ha ha!
I hope my son & his family get some beach time in this week.

I think I would add 'determined' to the list of strong woman traits.
No matter how low I have been I have always believed I would prevail. We are never failures or losers as long as we keep trying, right?

Hello to Dill, Pauly, Papmom & Cyn.
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Saturday!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies, no Lav I'm not on anti D's,that's my whole point is wondering if I need to be, I just dunno how I'm supposed to feel,seems I get down in the dumps away from booze,however I know that's normal as I've read tons of blogs and articles about it, Dill,we don't have that chain here,glad you had a nice dinner even if your sandwich was ho-hum that's why I always make hubs order something different than what I'm having, if mine sux I can eat off his plate haha,hi Snoop,hope you enjoy the weekend, this might sound weird but I hope Papmom didn't stop posting here cuz I joined the thread?seems she trickled off around that time, I hope not but we did have that on the steppers thread twice that I know of,not because of me,but some other members,off to give myself a big fat pep talk to go to work, hate working Saturday!! Hope everyone has a wonderful day

[dill]

Hi ya Pauly, no I don't think Papmom left the thread bc you came on board. For all I know, she is just taking a break. Her life has become so full in these last 5 af years that I think she just keeps busy elsewhere these days which is nice for her. But I know how you feel about worrying if it was something related to you. I think we are all a little insecure bout that sort of thing. :hug:

Lav, I would add 'optimistic' to the list of strong women's traits. I remember this one friend of mine had a mother that was always quick to smile and have a laugh and she brightened up even a rainy day like this one. She was married to the gruffest, most sour, mean spirited man! She made the absolute best of everything and kept that household alive in spite of him. I remember actively emulating her when I became a mother, being sure to provide fun times for my children and my family.

Star, I would also add 'constant' to the list of strong women traits. A mother's love is constant and hopes are enduring even in the darkest of times. Sometimes keeping the faith that things will work out takes a lot of strength and gives comfort to those around her. The twin calves are doing fine!

Little granddaughter is here for the overnight. Let's all have a peaceful af evening.

[Lavande]

Pauly, I see Papmom on Facebook every single day. She is just fine & busier than ever with her involvement in dog agility trials, exercise, keeping herself healthy post heart attack, her job & her part time job, etc. She's just fine
Speaking of Facebook I did see Louie's post party face - was that a hint of blue frosting on his face? Ha ha! He must have had a good time!

The ITs settled in quickly & I have managed to get YB to stop complaining about hem being here. Now what's he going to complain about? LOL

Dill, your granddaughter excited about the new babies? That must be a real thrill for her.
I hope you have a quiet night.

Big storm brewing up outside but I'm ready!!
Have a good night all.

[papmom3]

Oh my goodness Polly! I have not left the thread and even if I did it wouldn't be because of you silly girl!!! Dill hit the nail on the head. I am so busy these days that all I barely have time for is scanning FB and putting up a few posts. Sometimes I don't even check my email for a couple of days which does not make my family happy LOL!!
I have just spent the last hour reading all of the June posts. Whew! so much happening!
Lav-love the thread name! Perfect! Can we use it for July too? ; ). How did the ITs do today? So you have them for a whole week! Good thing you have lots of room outside!!
Star-so sorry to hear about your dad. Is he home from the hospital now? And your son-has he recovered from the accident? Will he get a "new" car?
Dill-Happy 38th! Hard for me to imagine living with someone for that long a time. I couldn't even make it past 8 months with just a regular BF/GF relationship! I'm very impressed! congrats on the twin calves and with your DIL feeling like she could come to you for help. I so hope she is serious this time.
Cyn-I know you are in Europe and maybe not online but I wish you a lovely trip!! Hope you will be able to post some pics when you get back.
Polly-I'm so sorry about all your woes. I'm also impressed with your resolve to stay strong and AF. Any progress on getting that eval for your daughter?

Life is good right now. I'm continuing with my running and exercise. The dogs have gotten more walks this summer than in their whole lives LOL!! Still can't lose anymore weight and am convinced when looking at pics that I am still massively overweight but my sister says that is nonsense and that I look great. At least I'm still comfortably fitting into size 10s and the clothes don't lie!
DD and I are having a blast with agility and rally. We're working together very tightly as a team these days and it is just so much fun. I'm entering 2 more trials this summer and will hopefully enter a rally trial in the fall.
Tomorrow I'm taking my dad to the Peabody Essex Museum for Dad's day. He's been once and always wanted to go back. I hope its fun-I'm not much of a museum person. Usually the family gets together but other plans were made this year so we're all hoping to get together at my brother's in western MA on the 5th.
This coming weekend I'm working with my demo boss up in Maine at a big Dock Dogs event. I'm so excited! Dad will take care of da boyz for me as I can't take them with me.
On the 29th I will be making my agility debut with a Border Collie!! Quite a change for me but I've always wanted to run one. This will be class tho, not competition. She is 2 yrs old and is my hoarder friend's dog. She failed at sheepherding and needs a job so I get to run her but my friend pays. win win!!
Work is going very well. 14 months from now the whole office dynamic will change with 2 maybe 3 retirements. Since these past 5 months have gone by in a flash, I believe that time will go by very fast as well. I can't wait to see what happens!! I'm still enjoying my "commute" and the dogs are enjoying having me home mid day. The short and easy commute makes it very easy to put in extra time when needed which I am happy to do. My boss works so hard everyday that I don't feel like I should stick to a straight 7.5 hours schedule. For the summer I've been working an extra hour a day so I don't have to take vacation time for Friday afternoons (the school closes at 12). Even so, this past friday I stayed until 2pm. My boss probably didn't leave until 4 or 5!! I don't put in lots of hours often-I've learned my lesson but have no problem doing it when needed.

Well, I think that catches me up!

Happy Father's day to all your hubbies tomorrow and I will try to check in more often. I will NEVER permanently leave this group-I think of you often when I don't have time to post. You all are extremely important to my continuing sobriety!!

Hugs!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Great to hear from you Pap! Your life sounds full and wonderful. Good.

Lav, love determined. That you are.

Dill, optimistic and constant...all good.

Pauly, see, Pap was just busy, we all appreciate your posts!

Cyn, hope you are having a great time.

Busy today, cookout, and it rained. Whew. We are getting so much rain. Have a good one.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, Happy Father's day & all that!

Yep, we had that heavy tropical rain last evening. It sounded like it was coming right thru the roof, geez! It's not raining now but the dew point is over 70% so it's very sticky out there.

Great to see you here Papmom. I knew you weren't mad at us, ha ha!!
You are doing well & looking good too
Perseverance really pays off!!!

Star, I hope your cookout goes well despite the weather. We did a cookout last Sunday in the rain!

Greetings Dill, Pauly & Cyn. I hope everyone has a nice AF Sunday!
I need to go let the ITs out for a romp & feed the entire crew. Yes, they will be here ALL week!

Lav

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

It was a wonderful Father's Day. Our little party was not as big as planned and that was OK. The cookout food was so good! We made ribs and they were falling off the bone after I boiled them for almost three hours. We went to the park, make sundaes later and there was alot of love and laughter. This was interesting, my SIL brought one beer. Then couldn't find it after he opened it and never finished it! What? So glad he is like that about the booze. One is plenty. I was talking to my daughter and she said that she just doesn't drink anymore. Even a little ruins her sleep and throws her body chemistry off. That was good news. She is really focused on being healthy and with a full time job and a baby, she is very busy. No time to feel sick and tired. Interesting that even one or two glasses of wine or beers make her sick now. Feedback?

The weather is still tropical, the rainy season. My husband was somehow able to mow, and the lawn was saturated with water, but it is cut. Big week for me, off but driving back and forth to babysit. I am excited, and so grateful for all the changes in the last year. Ha.

Have a good one and hello to everyone!

[dill]

Star, your Father's Day sounded lovely and very much like our own. I didn't have a moment to post yesterday bc of all the activity. Usually I can write early in the morning but yesterday I got up at 5:45 and granddaughter followed at 6:00! I had food prep in addition to childcare. It was all worth the effort tho! Interesting that your daughter feels "ill" with just one or two drinks. I do not have any idea why unless it is hormonal. Is she nursing? All I can say is, it's a good thing and long may it last!!!

Pap, so glad you checked in! I was thinking about you yesterday and what an absolutely awesome job you have done over these past 5 years. It's nothing short of a miracle that you were able to throw on the brakes and turn yourself around 180 degrees and how rich and full your life is as a result. You deserve all the happiness! I think it is interesting that you still look in the mirror and see yourself as overweight while sporting a size 10. It just goes to show how powerful the mechanism of 'body image' is.

Lav, glad to hear you are surviving the ITs. Looks like we are in for even more rain. Unbelievable!

Hiya PW and thinking of you, Cyn.

Had a scare yesterday. All day long Mr. D looked for the smaller twin and he never found it and never saw it with it's mother. Finding a weak calf in tall grass in a large pasture flanked by woods is really difficult. I couldn't help bc of the childcare duties. After the kids and their dad left I went out looking myself. After a long while in the hot, muggy weather, walking thru poison ivy and tall tick-infested weeds I found it! It was weak and could barely stand. We managed to reunite it with its mother and thankfully, she accepted it and let it nurse. Whew! Later in the evening we saw it nursing again. It looked like it was making up for lost time/nutrition. Anyway, all's well that ends well but i did pick off a tick and am covered with chigger bites. YUCK. Fingers crossed about the PI. I was wearing long pants and socks which I peeled off and put directly into the wash, so we shall see.

Have a great AF Monday everyone.

[Lavande]

Good Monday morning friends!

Yep, hot & humid here too, just like real summer. Looks like rain returns late tonight & all day tomorrow.
I harvested some Swiss chard yesterday & it was delicious sautéed with a little garlic in a bit of avocado oil. Went nicely with the pork roast YB had requested for dinner. Food makes him happy, not much else does, ha ha.

Star, you have a busy week ahead but sounds like fun. Glad your cook out went well!
Pregnancy changes our body chemistry & even our shoe size!! It's great that your daughter picked right up on that. I've noticed that my daughter rarely mentions having a glass of wine anymore & I'm glad about that.

Dill, I'm sure you are relieved about finding the baby. I just don't know how I would cope with all that myself.
I removed several tiny spiders from myself after working outside yesterday, yuck. I see the PI growing everywhere & do my best to avoid it but you never know. I hope you were successful in preventing contact with the stuff. Sorry about the chiggers - nasty little things.

Greetings Pauly, Papmom & Cyn. I hope you are all well

I have 4 dogs to feed then I'm off to Curves.
I had a face time call from my son yesterday. The grandsons seem to be enjoying themselves in the OBX. They are quite close to the beach!

Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies, sounds like everyone had a nice father's day I just made fajitas for hubs,not my fave food but I loves it,figured I'd give him a break off the grill,Snoop,that's great that your daughter and SIL aren't big drinkers, so scary to see your kids drink,even small amounts makes me nervous cuz my drinking started out small,been trying to watch gluten/dairy this weekend and reading labels there is so many hidden and unnecessary ingredients in foods!this is a full time job on its own,Dill,I'm a 10 too but its a "fluffy"10 I don't like that!I want to be able to throw anything on and feel comfortable, I hate eating and feeling 6 months pregnant haha,glad you found the baby in time, that's so sad Lav,are the twins behaving?hope so,well off to get ready,hope everyone has a nice Monday

[Lavande]

Hey Pauly, I'm a fluffy size 10 too, ha ha!!! That's why I keep taking myself to Curves 4X/week. The more dairy & gluten you remove from your diet the better you feel - honestly. It's really difficult because ALL processed foods contain one or both. Trying focusing on removing one or two things per week so you don't drive yourself nuts! Store bought salad dressings have been replaced by homemade dressings or just use oil & vinegar. I'm making my own high protein breakfast bars now - dairy & gluten free. no baking required. Let me know if you're interested

The ITs are behaving, thank goodness. They behave much better here at my house than they do at home - go figure.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

I woke up at 4:30 as I will be on the road at or before 7 am. It was so fun yesterday, but very busy and my back hurts from all the picking up. I will be more careful today for sure. Then, I pick up my MIL (step and nice) at the airport at five, so I am busy busy busy, but with different things and it is fun. I love when there is a big family party to look forward too. Family members coming from all over the country, all week, culminating in the event. The last medium size one was last year, big one about five years ago when a nephew graduated high school. Our family got together alot before my mom died, but everything changed with her gone. So, this is fun and lots of pics must be taken!!!!

Dill, thanks for your feedback on the minimal drinking. What a scare about the calf and so great you found him. I am super allergic to poison ivy too, and will do all I can to avoid it. Chigger bites are the worst, sorry you were bitten. Your father's day sounded lovely, so great your son and grandkids live closeby.

Lav, pregnancy does change your chemistry, even shoe size, I never realized it before you stated it. I am soooo happy she is not drinking, she tended to go a little overboard in the past when she was younger, but that is all behind her. One of my friends, during menopause, became super sensitive to alcohol, has to be careful to have two beers at most, cannot handle wine or hard liquor, she will get a really bad headache. So, why have any? Lav, I would be interested in your recipe for protein bars, free of gluten and dairy. Please share.

Pauly, over the past few years I have studied all the stuff in processed foods due to horrible allergies, (swelling lips and face) and realized all most everything has chemicals in it. So, like Lav, learned to make my own dressing for salads, (it is easier than it sounds) and try to avoid processed foods. It helped the allergies and now I eat differently, most of the time. I wonder if part of the problem is all the fast food and take out we eat, too? Full of who knows what. I avoid dairy for the most part, and drink coconut milk if I need to have milk. Cheese on occasion is now OK. I avoid bread except for pizza, then feel really bloated and yucky. I even order the unwrap at Jimmy John's if I have to have fast food. (Lettuce instead of bread). Lots of people are feeling this way too. It must be the GMO and chemicals in processed foods. But boy, they taste good. Dueu to all the changes over the past few years, I actually crave salads now. Good luck on your journey.

Have a good one.

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies, Snoop,I crave salad too,unfortunately I love iceberg, cheese,croutons, bacon bits and tons of ranch on it haha,I do feel that there's some sort of epidemic with the food these days,think about how people in the 50's ate,it was milk,bread, meat,potatoes and people were fine,not crazy obesity and all the mental health issues, pains,cancers,etc, these days those same foods are so messed with they're messing us up,you sound excited for the get together Lav,I'm always up for recipes I keep wondering why you haven't mentioned watching the kids then I remembered that theboys are on vacay,bblueberry bush is struggling Dill,hope to hear from you today,let's all have a great Tuesday everyone

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

It's shaping up to be one ugly Tuesday. Hot, humid & big storms predicted this afternoon

Pauly, the boys are romping the beaches of the OBX this week. I'm sure they are having a ball!
We have to get your taste for salads to 'mature' a little, ha ha.
Here's that recipe for the no bake breakfast bars:

http://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/2015/05/04/5-ingredient-no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-protein-bars/

If anyone is on Pinterest, let me know. I have a recipe page where I save all these healthier dairy free & gluten free recipes. There's also one or two not so healthy recipes, eg Copycat Chick Fil-A nuggets, haha
I have made these breakfast bars with hemp protein & also with pea protein (which I prefer). I get them both on Amazon because the few stores in this area don't carry anything like that. I don't add the extra peanuts. I have lost a few pounds since I started having one of these bars for breakfast.

Star, I know you are having a busy week. Enjoy your little guy & your company

Greetings to Dill, Papmom & Cyn. Are you back yet Cyn? We want to hear about your trip.

OK, dogs are all settled so I'm off to Curves.
Have a great AF Tuesday everyone!

Lav
I will say a prayer for your blueberry!