Anam Cara AF April

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Lav - 29 degrees here! But the sun is strong and warm, so that's good. Lucky grandson to be with you last night.

Star - hope your dinner party went well (or is it today?)

Dill - hope you are enjoying your sleepover -

Pauly - how's things?

I'm making some granola right at the moment (it's in the oven). So happy to have something with plenty of protein and no refined sugar to chomp on. I made a special effort to get it done before he goes back to town today... but he already bought himself some, so... more for me!

Wishing all a relaxed AF Sunday ---

[dill]

Hello all,

Cyn, the Benji movie was a big hit! You just can't beat Disney! What new Helen Mirren movie? I love her! Mr. D and I just watched Trumbo on Friday night. Is that the movie you are talking about? She played Hedda Hopper and was fantastic! It was a really good movie and I highly recommend it. Brian Cranston had the leading roll. He is a great actor too!

Star, your meal sounds delicious! Sometimes the basics are the best, IMO. I think the older movies are superior to the movies of today, at least in the family/children genre. Sometimes I wonder if our culture has lost its soul. The modern movies are missing something. Do you know what I mean? Maybe I'm all wet, but it's the way I see it. I'm glad you shared that Alice in Wonderland experience with your grandson. I think I am going to get the old Wizard of Oz movie with Judy Garland or the old Peter Pan movie with Mary Martin for our next overnight.

Pauly, what you said about the blocked feeling in your head leading up to picking up that first drink last month made total sense to me. It didn't sound "nuts" at all. What is nuts is how powerful this need is. It truly can override rational thought! I'm glad you are back here with us. It sounds like you had some pretty wild weather yesterday!

Lav, funny how the menu changes when the grandkids are over! LOL! Gdaughter loves spaghetti so I always fix that for her. And peas too bc I know my son hates them and never serves them! LOL! When grandson comes we have to have barbcued chicken at one of the meals. And he loves eggs, bacon and biscuits for breakfast. What does your younger grandson like?

Let's all have a peaceful AF Sunday evening.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Up really early, ready for my work week to start!

Sounds like we all had a fulfilling weekend, filled with loved ones, healthy food, and no alcohol. It is raining here and not as cold, with a warmer trend predicted as the week goes on. Yay! I want my spring back.

Dill, we watched Alice in Wonderland again and my grandson loved it: music, colors, not scary. I love the old movies too. Feeling so lucky to live close to family again, a true blessing.

Lav, great weekend for you, soup can be made this week.

Cyn, had fun at my dinner party, everything came out perfect, lots of practice. Left overs for tonight. You are on your own this week, any special plans?

Pauly, I think that cravings can just start out of the blue, and unless we have a specific plan and follow it, can take over. It has happened to me. So glad you are back and working your plan.

Have a great AF Monday.

[Lavande]

Good Monday morning friends!
Dark & raining here as well. Looks like the sun is due to arrive Wednesday, can't wait

I ended having the whole gang here yesterday afternoon except my son who was working. I made a big pot of meatballs & sausage, baked a couple loaves of Italian bread, salad, pasta & brownies. I was tired by the end of the day, ha ha but we had fun. I keep reminding myself that these wonderful days would not be happening if I had not kicked AL out of my life!

Pauly, I am glad you are back with us!
I really think hormonal shifts & lack of decent sleep can put us in zombie mode. I know that sure led to a lot of my bad decision making over the years. Keep working on getting yourself physically & emotionally healthy as possible - really helps keep that brain fog away

Cyn, homemade granola sounds good! The store bought stuff has milk in it, ugh.
I hope you have a great day!

Dill, I enjoy seeing the kids happily having dinner together so cooking what they like is a no-brainer for me.
My DIL does not cook & my daughter is up to her eyeballs in her studies right now so I am happy to be of service. My younger grandson is a huge meat eater, getting him to eat a veggie is a major task, LOL

Star, I want spring back too!!!

Have a great AF day everyone!
I am heading to Curves before anything else pops up.

Lav

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Pauly - I must have cross-posted with you yesterday! I didn't see your message until just now. How smart you are to look back at your last experience and evaluate. I agree with Dill; I understand your experience, you are not nuts. And I think Star is right; it's good to be aware that it can happen, and make a plan that you can work. Good luck! Great that you are up and at 'em again. That's the way to do it!

Star - so glad that all went well with your party - what a nice feeling. I hope you have a great work week coming up.

Dill- The movie we saw was Eye in the Sky. It was billed as a thriller, and had good people in it, but in the end I have to say it was disappointing to me. I think there were more interesting plot lines in some of Mirren's 'Prime Suspect' episodes(do you remember that from the 90s on PBS?) This had a thin story line that they just hammered away at; no character development (according to me, anyway.) I don't do well with high-stress films; I start to shake and usually I can't stop. So this time I made it a sort of meditation assignment. I gave myself permission to close my eyes and not get involved in the visuals, I concentrated on reducing my hear-rate and keeping my muscles as relaxed as possible. I actually got the shaking to stop! So, that was a good experience. (PS- would Oz be scary for little kids? I still find it a little alarming -- but there you go, that's me!) There is a documentary out about the man who wrote The Wizard of Oz (Frank....). It's really fascinating, what a life he had.

Lav - thanks for the heads-up about the food processor. It's OK to run them for 15 minutes? I had no idea! So what do you use to grind flax seeds, etc? Thanks for getting me on Pinterest - I'm using it a lot now.

Wishing all a great AF Monday --

[treegirl]

X-post, Lav! Wow, that sounds like a lot of cooking. So glad that the kids are all so close to you (in every way...) Good luck to your daughter ---

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, we ended up not going to Boulder City yesterday, hubs agreed to help a neighbor with a leak and by the time the neighbor was ready,it was too late to go,I told him next weekend to tell everyone that he's busy!! Its better anyways cuz it was still drizzling and when we go I want to take Louie to the park,BC is such a lovely little town,no casinos,clean people,its absolutely amazing that its so close to Vegas,yet another planet as far a life,Dill,I thought of you this morning cuz spaghetti is on the menu and you mentioned its granddaughters fave,actually as a teen it was mine too,more than pizza,burgers,etc,actually got in the habit as an adult to hate it but I started doctoring it up with peppers,onions, mushrooms and I'm gonna let it simmer in the crock pot all day Lav,I think you're right about self care,also I'm really doing mindfulness now,trying to treasure the day,Cyn and Star hope you both had nice weekends,happy Monday

[Lavande]

Pauly, I am living here in cow country because I really do enjoy the nature, quiet & lack of noisy neighbors. It's good to find a place to retreat to to quiet your mind.
My old girlfriend (very Italian) taught me the correct way (South Philadelphia way) to make spaghetti sauce with no onion, garlic or any of that stuff. It's flavored mainly by the baked sweet style Italian sausage you drop in along with some oregano & basil. You're supposed to let it simmer for 8 hours which I never do. I do saute a half of a small onion in olive oil & add just the oil to the pot

Cyn, I do use my coffee grinder for small amounts of things like flax seeds. I store flax in the freezer then just grind it as I need it for a recipe. I use Pinterest a lot to save recipes I want to try. Every now & then I have to remember to go back in & delete the ones that were not so excellent, ha ha!

[dill]

Hello All,

You know Cyn, you might be right about the Wizard of Oz maybe being too scary for the 4 yo. I am sure the 9 yo can handle it tho. I'm going to have to ponder that one. I missed the Helen Mirren series on PBS. Never even heard of it! Now I have another wonderful avenue of entertainment to explore! I plan to see Eye in the Sky when it comes out on DVD. That won't be for a while!

Star, which version of Alice did you watch? The Disney animation from the 1950's remastered or one of the more recent movie versions like the one with Johnny Depp? I think I'm going to get the Disney one when we get around to watching that one. I remember loving Mary Poppins when I was a kid the grandkids didn't take to that one at all!

Lav, I love using sweet Italian sausage in my spaghetti sauce but I often just stick with ground beef because the kids don't tend to like the spicey version. I like my sauce without onion and garlic and Mr. D likes it with, so I kind of alternate between the two. We both love basil tho! I know what you mean about enjoying the dinner experience with the kids and grandkids.

Pauly, it is funny how places so geographically close can be so very different isn't it? I lived one year in the city and didn't like it. I am happiest in a small town or rural atmosphere, altho it is much less convenient at times. Your crock pot sauce sounds great!

Thank you guys for being here. It's so great to have your support and friendship! Have a peaceful AF Monday evening.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Dill, we watched the Alice in Wonderland from the 1950s Disney version. I thought the Depp version weird and scary, not appropriate or fun for a little guy. He loves sweet music, flowers, etc. Glad you are in my life too.

Lav, what a nice weekend.

Cyn, I don't like really scary tension building movies either. Some days I can take it, others I can't.

Pauly, sounds like you are moving along and doing well. Good to hear.

Have a great Tuesday, AF.

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Sounds like a good Tuesday is ready and waiting for all --

Pauly - good job concentrating on self-care and noticing the good stuff that's out there!

Dill - yes, it's a bit dated now, but Prime Suspect was one of Mirren's first shows, and one of the best - enjoy.

Star - I am also grateful for our little band here!

Lav - yes, grinding flax for myself now, and also made a chia pudding. Good reports from the docs; the food and meditation are paying off big time! That keeps motivation high.

Rainy here, but that's good; it will keep me out of the bushes for a day (I worked 6 - 7:30 pm last night pulling out garlic mustard - I made a real dent!) Wishing all a happy AF Tuesday.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Dill,the sauce turned out bueno! That slow cooking just made it so rich and yummy,which is kinda bad cuz I kept getting "just a teeny bit more"haha Star,I think the Johnny Depp movie is creepy too,I hated when they made the Willy Wonka one too,looks ugly to me,they should quit remaking our movies and come up with new ideas,or at least rename them,I loved "Footloose"growing up and the Karate kid, both have been remade and when they play,I'll get all excited but then realize its the new one and its a let down Cyn,I'm really trying to remain focused on the present, the small things,not taking things for granted,etc,Lav,what's on the plans for today? Louie wants me to make chocolate chip cookies but I know if I do I won't be able to stay out of them,maybe I'll just buy some,I can always resist store bought cookies,hope we all have a terrific Tuesday

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Tuesday!

I am dragging my tired self around this morning. Yes there was another 3:30 am dog outing & it took forever to get back to sleep, oh well.
I am looking forward to meeting my old friends for lunch today. I may have to take a row boat & paddle the 21 miles to our lunch place, ha ha! We're getting some seriously heavy rain this morning.

Hello to Dill & Star, hope you both have a good day!
Cyn, great news that your health is improving, stay motivated!
Pauly, baking with the kids is fun & I usually pack up the baked goods & send them home with the kid, ha ha. One way I keep myself out of the cookies is by using real butter in them which doesn't agree with me. If I want a cookie I have to bake with a non-dairy butter

Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[dill]

Star, I agree about the Johnny Depp version. Totally creepy. Like you, I love the 1950's version too.

Cyn, we had a cloudy day yesterday all day until just after sunset. The clouds started to thin and they were filled with the orange afterglow from a brilliant sunset. It was unbelievably beautiful. The light was so warm.

Lav, I too met a couple of my old friends for lunch today. It was really, really nice. Sadly for me one of them told me she and her hb have bought a house and are moving. Like Star, it is to be near her children and to be in a more managable house. I am very happy for her, but selfishly sad for me! (Star, I told her I was happy for her. No guilt trip from me!!!LOL)

Pauly, It's funny but my kids both loved that Willy Wonka movie with Gene Wilder. I had never read the book so had nothing to compare it to. I had to watch that darn movie so many times! :egad:But, they loved it!

Let's all have a good, AF Tuesday evening.

[paulywogg]

I loved the Gene Wilder Wonka Dill,I've probably watched it as many times as your kids haha,I did read the book though,after I seen the movie Louie is being a wild thing today! Wish he'd sit and watch a movie,I'm going bananas