January Jewel

[treegirl]

Evening all -

Home. Thankfully did some shopping before I got to my house - right now there is ice being thrown at the windows in warp speed. I finally looked at a current weather report and it seems that we could get 3-5 inches of sleet/ice. Whaaat? And I just pulled out the pet-friendly ice melt, only to find it solid, harder than a brick. Oh well, guess I'll throw some rug runners out on the steps in the morning so my pups don't dislocate any joints!

I just spent a rare hour on FB and saw the pics of the marches. I was proud of all the women who are stepping up, and I will be joining hands with them. Right now my weapon is the pen and the phone. Yes we will. It all brought tears to my eyes.

As always, much to do here. I finally feel free to pursue some special projects and buckle down on others.

Sending best AF vibes to all. Dill, I hope you check in - with all the cuts being proposed I am worried about your son's care. Good luck with the gkids. Lav, good thing those girls are safe in their 'home'. They'll thank you tomorrow! Pauly, hope you get a break from your rain, though it is probably welcome. Liz, the wedding planning sounds fun. Star, enjoy your work conferences.

Although I couldn't see it today, for sure the light is strengthening. Let's take strength from that... take care all -

[paulywogg]

Cyn,I've been on Twitter all evening reading articles about the marches,women's rights,healthcare cuts to be made,sickens me,I just know from my experience this summer with Kellie that if she hadn't had the right to make a choice with HER OWN BODY that this coming March would have a more heartbreaking time that we'd have to be going through, glad you're home safe and sound,all of you stay safe and warm tonight

[Snoopy56]

Good morning...

Wow, great posts everyone.

Cyn, the political outlook is very upsetting and depressing, I was listening to NPR and Trump signed a vague sweeping bill to get rid of the Affordable Health Care Act but it is so vague,he has already created what he loves: chaos and uncertainty. A rep from Virginia said it will devastate their economy and ensure that many have limited or no insurance, hurt the insurance companies, no more preventative care, etc., so what is the point? Death and destruction, his specialty. I am tightening my belt here at home, taking vitamins, eating healthy and keeping up my health club membership, hoping to stay healthy, but of course there are no guarantees. When I think of drinking now, it would be so depressing and horrible, so I love your continued references to the light, to keeping busy and useful, and to hope. Thanks.

Lav, well, your DIL wants to make up and I am sure that you can cautiously let her back into your life, only because of the grandsons, of course. I'll bet you they are bugging her to come see you and Grandpa, and she is just wearing down. Haha. I guess you have to teach her how to be a gracious, loving woman, how to have dignity and respect for herself and others, what tough lessons for her. I know you bent over backwards for them, and she just totally flipped out, I have dealt with family members like that in the past, too, not an easy time for you, but hopeful at the same time.

Pauly, you are so right about women's healthcare, where would your family be without choice? What a mess is going to be created, we have to do what we can to protest and make sure that we have rights to care for our own bodies and that we have the right to healthcare. I just don't get it, we tried letting corporations have free reign and we ended up in an economic crash, depression in 2008 due to their greed and excesses. Let's try to remain hopeful and do what we can for all of us. I kind of like rainy days, gives me an excuse to be cozy and read.

Liz, how exciting as the wedding plans proceed. Fun.

Have a great AF Tuesday.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, tired this morning cuz the power went out at 2 am briefly and it bothered me that I couldn't hear my fan so had a hard time falling back to sleep,Lav,I had to Google that company she got the sweater thing is from,never heard of it,Star,what vitamins do you take? I'm trying to keep it basic on the vitamins, too much b complex makes me wanna crawl out of my skin,too much magnesium makes me feel like I took a sleeping pill during the day,etc,Cyn,did the ice calm down? Dill,I know you're probably not gonna post cuz of the political talk,I understand that but we're still friends... I think,I tried to stay neutral but now that its a reality I'm finding it hard to put a positive spin on it but I'm trying, just worried about the future and wondering how this happened, just sorting through, anyhoo,wishing us all a happy,heathly Tuesday

[treegirl]

Evening all -

Ice and snow still coming down hard, it hasn't stopped since yesterday. Fortunately that crazy wind finally slowed mid-morning; it sounded like a freight train all night long! So far no trees down, crossing fingers. And so far power is on, whew.

Lav and Liz, how are you doing, do you have this same storm? Pauly, glad you are sorting out your supplements. I read an interesting article on why probiotics affect people so differently- I can find the link if you are interested. One of the bottom lines is that now they believe it's best to take WITH food. Who knows! Star, take heart and take action. The silver lining is that at this stage of our life we are not able to take anything for granted and we need to personally participate. That could be a good thing. I understand your fear, I read about a woman who (pre-aca) was denied health coverage because of a diagnosis of 'gastritis'. If that's how it's going to go back, I'm sunk. Oh well, like you said, staying healthy is the best we can do. Dill!? Hope you are OK.

Let's try to find the light and strengthen it. Mother Nature (Skywoman) is doing her part (I think I remember the sun!)
May we be well...

[Lizann]

Windy rain and cold here. It actually sounds like it's sleeting outside right now. I am cozy here on the couch under my throw with hubby and the dog close by. Enjoying a quiet evening watching some mindless tv. Done, I hope with the "save the dated". I think they will be mailed tomorrow.
Have a peaceful AF night.

[Lavande]

I am happy to say the storm ended here folks. We even had a little glimpse of sunshine late this afternoon. So hang in there everyone

Be careful out there Cyn, I do not like dealing with ice in any way, shape or form. All I can think of is all of the old ladies in the hospital with fractured hips.....
I just won't risk it - I won't!

Pauly, it's hard to sleep without some 'white noise', I agree. When my granddaughter was little we found out that if we left a radio on with very quiet static (between stations) noise it helped her to sleep.
That clothing line has been all the rage with the younger set. It features stretchy, comfy clothing in bizarre colors & patterns - especially leggings & such. It's for a younger person, not me, ha ha!!

Liz, not sure where you are located but if you are anywhere nearby me the storm should be over soon - stay safe!

Well my feathered friends were happy to get out & run around in the mud today - you should see their feet & legs, lol.

Hello to Dill, hpe you are doing OK :hug:

Have a peaceful night everyone!

Lav

[Snoopy56]

Woke up at 3 am and slept off and on till 6, don't feel so good do to lack of a good night's sleep. Coffee will help.

Pauly, hope you have a good day. I don't care if people don't want to hear about politics, it is something that cannot be ignored, swept under the rug, but I don't want to lose friendships either. Bad things are happening, not good, and they have to be addressed. Very sad time for our country.

Lav, your chickens are probably glad to be free. Our weather was in the 40s with mist, but no big deal. Colder later this week.

Cyn, sounds like you got blasted with winter, take care. This is a tough time of year.

Lizann, your cozy night sounded wonderful.

It's humpday, let's make it AF!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends,Star,I woke up at 3 am and I don't think I fell back asleep, all I know is I was out of bed at 4,my only saving grace is I go to bed early,very early,as a matter of fact tonight is gonna be rough cuz LB's bf's mom wants us all to go to dinner at Buco diBeppo at 6:30!! I can't eat heavy Italian food that late I'll die,I figure I'll just nibble and take the rest home, Lav,my room is next to Bradys and he gets rowdy playing his video games,the fan is a lifesaver! Rented "The secret life of pets" from Redbox last night cuz even though Louie's already seen it,I thought he'd like to watch it again with us,nope,glued to YouTube on my old phone he's too young for that crap but I'll admit its a great babysitter sometimes, at least I can go to the bathroom alone now cuz he follows me everywhere,Liz,youll be dealing with this in a few years haha,Cyn,I can feel the healing light even through the clouds I think all of our positive energies here on this thread merge into something soothing and healing,just missing Dill I think Michelle lost her job,when she called the other night they didn't have her on the schedule for next week, great.also hubs is having back problems and I'm worried his boss won't keep him cuz he can't do heavy lifting, jeez,always something! Wishing us all a peaceful AF Wednesday

[Lizann]

Aww, Pauly, hope the job situations work out! I know how stressful that can be. Lol on the going to the bathroom alone, I get it! Right now it's not the grand kids, but Lucy who follows me.
Totally get the white noise thing too. I miss my fan in the winter here Pauly. The heat clanks in the winter, but it's not the same as that soothing fan.

Lav, I believe I live a bit north of you. The storm has passed and we were left with a warm windy day today. It was not a great day to walk outside, but I got it done.

Hello to everyone and wishing you all a good AF night!

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

We finally had a sunny day, yay! The weather folks said it was only the second one thiscmonth. Geez, no wonder everyone is so gloomy around here, ha ha!

I have had some middle of the night awakenings too lately. I've been blaming them on tense dreams r/t the political happenings. Although I am taking some daily action to resist all this monsense I just can't stay tuned into it all day. I think we all need breaks so we don't burn out. #45 is coming to Philly tomorrow & I believe he will see some major protests. Oh well.

Star & Pauly, I hope we all sleep thru the night tonight. We have to keep our energy levels up & provide some peace to our souls.

Cyn, I sure hope you saw some sun today. You could use the 50 something temps we had here today & tomorrow.

Hello to Liz & Dill. Hope you both had a good day.

I made an interesting cauliflower crust pizza with my vegan mozarrella today & it was good. I put a ton of homegrown garlic in it too. I hope it doesn't keep me awake all night. At least I won't have to worry about any vampires tonight, ha ha!

Peace to everyone tonight!
Lav

[treegirl]

Evening all -
The sun finally came out about 4 pm... what a welcome sight! I stood at the kitchen window watching the sunset for several minutes.. what a beautiful light show, pinks and purples and sky blue and grey clouds skimming. Just beautiful. I hope everyone of us saw some beauty today.

Pauly, good luck on the job front with HB, I know how stressful that can be. Star, how are things going with your son? Dill, I thought of you when I saw a report from Wellness Mama that weighted blankets seem to produce better sleep for kids. I didn't read it, but it sounded interesting. Lav, I bet those chickens were muddy! I loaded up things to drop at our Transfer Station, forgetting that it was Wednesday and so not open, but the silver lining for the dogs was that they got a snowy romp at the dog park. It was great to be outside - They say 15 minutes of outdoor light for good health, no matter what. I'm trying, along with all the to-dos and action items. Liz, so glad that the Save the Dates are done, that's major. (And my dog follows me into the bathroom too!)

I had a nice article in a nearby paper from my talk last Saturday, so that was a perk. My computer is still uploading all the files from Carbonite, I had no idea it would take days to get all of this back. My advice to all is to back up the files you care about on a thumb drive , at least you'll have them to work with if something happens, uuugh. When my computer's ready, I need to get going on the client hours again.

Wishing all a good Thursday. To the light ----

[Snoopy56]

Good morning...

Pauly, I slept through the night last night, hope you did too. I actually had a good day yesterday at work, lots of different things came up and I work as a troubleshooter at part of my job, so it was interesting and went well. So sorry to hear about your daughter's job, my son has had interviews, but no offers yet, yikes, he has a plan to get his tax money soon so another month of not having to help him out, much. Your husband's job, hope they are good to him, sounds like he is a really hard worker, you would think they would appreciate that! How did your dinner go? I have never been to that Italian restaurant but they have one in my city and I love Italian food.

Hello to Liz, hope you have a great day.

Lav, we are getting snow to day, up to one inch, no biggie for me. I went to a book club last night in my neighborhood and it was fun. All the ladies were drinking wine, they had one glass in an hour and a half, when I left at 9 some where having a second glass. What can I say? I just don't drink like that, never have, and never will. I brought my fizzy drink and enjoyed the talk and meeting new people. We laughed alot and it was fun. Best news, we are meeting next month so I hope to get to know them better. I was never tempted to drink, at all. I brought my own drink, said no thanks when offered wine, and no one cared I was not drinking alcohol. I had a great time, slept well, no regrets, the only way to go. I am so firm in my commitment, have my plan, bring my own drink, it is a no brainer, now. I am still cautious of course, but yesterday was also my one year anniversary of being NF and I have never felt better. It's about time at 56 years old, but better late than never. I have heard of the cauliflour crust for pizza, a lady at work made it and said it was pretty good. She has to stay gluten free or gets really sick right away, it is hard for her and she is only 30 years old. We all have our burdens to bear, right? Hope you have sweet dreams from now on. Our 45th is saying more and more disturbing things, we know he is not right in the head and for him to be in charge is a disaster.

Cyn, nice to enjoy a lovely sunset, we had a super colorful sunrise yesterday, and I paused (I was in the car) to appreciate the beauty. We are blessed everyday with beauty, we just have to make a point to notice and take it in. Great to have a newspaper article about your business, hope you get the computer stuff fixed soon. What a pain. My son is doing OK, just trying to keep on putting out applications, resumes, etc., and keep up his spirits. Seeing alot of him and trying to be generous, patient, and kind, besides having faith it will all work out for the his highest good.

Shoutout to Dill.

Have a great AF Thursday.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, I'm more of a sunrise girl I live on the east side of Vegas next to Sunrise mountain, its name fits it well cuz the sun pokes its head over that bald mountain and I just feel hopeful for the day,wish I could get a decent pic sometime,its hard on my phone to get up close,Cyn,how awesome about the article Star,I never drank like that either,I'd drink before going to any get together, drink while there,smuggle something in,probably get rowdy,defo wouldn't be sitting around at a book club,we ended up eating at 7:30! The food is served family style so big plates of pasta,bread,etc I took a piece of chicken parm, eggplant parm,salad,chicken Alfredo and a canoli,it was hard to retain cuz we were all chatting 14 1/2 of us (Louie's the 1/2 who stayed under the table the whole time cuz he's too shy) I only had water,too late for soda and all that salt made me thirsty anyways, they all had wines and beers but just normal people amounts it didn't faze me,what I REALLY wanted was one of the delicious looking cappuccinos I saw in the menu! Liz,its so cute Lucy follows you to the bathroom, I love that doggieLav,I want to try that cauliflower crust,I also saw a yummy looking cauliflower recipe on Pintrest that almost looks like boneless buffalo wings, it looks so yum,ugh,off to the dentist this morning, last wisdom tooth pulled I hope its not too painful, Dill,hi if you're lurking, wishes for a satisfying AF Thursday

[treegirl]

Hello all -

Wishing all a peaceful night. Pauly, sounds like your dinner was fun. Star congrats on your year NS (right?), and on the problem-solving at work. Liz, hope you are well; same to you, Lav and Dill.
Tired here, woke up in the middle of the night (not the dog's fault!). Finally got back to sleep only to have a bad dream -- I went t back to sleep at 6 instead of getting up as I usually do... then was a slug! Despite it all, I have made good business and taxes progress here. My mind is fried; I may eat some of my fresh split pea soup and watch something on Netflix. Not sure I can handle more news today.

Wishing all well - To the Light ---