Now I really did it :((

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls, I hope everyone is having a great NYE.

Missy, I hope this coming year is one of the happiest of your life! I hope you and Greg are having a great time at the beach house tonight. When are you planning to go back to the city? Is your niece feeling better? We went out for a nice dinner with friends and were home before 10:00 PM. I have never been one for going out on NYE. It makes with nervous with so many people drinking and driving. So it was nice to be home early. The fireworks and firecrackers will start a little before midnight here as well. I actually dread it as the noise upsets the dog so much as well as all the other dogs in the neighborhood. Do up you and Greg have any plans for tomorrow.

I'm glad your ankle and leg are doing so well. I actually worried that the stairs may be too much for you but it actually sounds a lot like therapy!

Marcy, How are you feeling today? If you aren't feeling better please, please go to the doctor. My brother currently has pneumonia. They want him in the hospital and he is refusing to go. I wish you would have let Marty drive you to work today. I bet he wasn't too happy that you didn't wake him up. It is dangerous to be out at all with the tempatures you are dealing with. I hope you have many pairs of Uggs. I think it is probably wise of you to skip the dress boots. If I was dealing with -35 degree weather I would be living in Uggs. How on earth do you stay warm. Last winter was terrible in Chicago and there were times the only way I could get warm was by taking a hot shower. I have no idea how you do it. I don't think even Uggs could keep my feet warm with those temperatures. I hope you get a lot of rest the next few days.

OV, I hope you are doing well this evening. I have been thinking of you. I hate to hear that you are alone tonight. I wish you lived near me. I would have dragged you to dinner with us. I don't think you would have minded. We talked about bling while our husbands talked sports.

Your tribute to Puma is beautiful. You are such a good mom to your babies and such a kind and loving person. Puma sure picked the right mom for himself. You were both so lucky to have each other.

Junebug, I hope you had a nice dinner this evening with your husband. Do you have anything planned for tomorrow? I know this past year has been difficult. I'm hoping this new one will be a better one. Hopefully your sister will be able to visit more often to give you much needed breaks. Please know I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to.

I've also lost posts while using my IPad. It happens all time since the last software upgrade. It's been driving me crazy with emails as well. It will randomly send an email as I'm typing or if I try to save a draft it I'll be sent instead. I know how frustrating it is to type a post and have it just disappear.

Kristie, I hope you and Bob are having a wonderful NYE.

LLJsmom, I hope your trip to Tahoe is wonderful. I can't wait to hear all about your trip. If anyone deserves a nice get away with their family, it's you. Have fun ringing in the new year.

I want to thank all of you for your kindness and support this past year. It has meant so much to me and I feel so lucky to have gotten to know you.

 

[missy]

Happy New Year girls!!!

Ovi, I loved your touching tribute to Puma. Just beautiful. Thinking of you and sending more hugs your way. I hope this year is filled with happiness and love.

Callie, your NYE sounded perfect. Dinner with friends and home early. We stayed in first NYE ever and I was glad. We had an early dinner and just relaxed together. Me and my zinc oxide mask lol but I'll talk about that later. The things we do.

Junebug, I hope you enjoyed a quiet evening with your dh and I totally understand how isolating and cut off we can feel at times especially caring for your mom the way you do. We are always here for you at almost any time of day... I mean I rarely sleep anyway so whenever you need me! Hugs and hope you had a lovely NYE.

Marcy, I hope you are feeling all better and that you and Marty enjoyed a fun evening with friends and had a great game night! I would have loved that as I enjoy playing board games. Is that what you did? Which games are your favorites?

Kristie, I hope you and Bob had a great NYE and that the weather was beautiful (how could it not be anywhere that's not freezing at this time of year is awesome in my book). Sending hugs and love to you, your dh and Finn and Maggie too.

LLJsmom, I hope you and the family are enjoying your ski vacation at Tahoe. It's a perfect way to spend the holidays and hoping you are getting some hot tub time in too!

To each and everyone of you and to all the other lovely ladies reading this I wish you a year filled with much good health and lots of happiness, much love and of course a bit of (or more) bling! (((Hugs))).

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Girls,

Hope that everyone had a wonderful NYE. I was up until very late maybe 5 a.m., dh came home at around 2 but let him go to sleep, did not feel like talking much, definitely not going out then. I actually spend a lot of time on the pet loss chat and forum and funny but many times I end up helping other people and it actually feels wonderful. You know right now though I know this is useless as far as my life and where it is going, it is really helping because I feel a little less isolated and alone. Ok, so I think it is silly to say it is useless, I just wish I could be doing more fun things at the moment like Callie your dinner sounded awesome, talking to other girls about bling and a nice atmosphere in general. Here it is a bit hard and most of my friends are far, we talk on the phone and keep in touch though so that is nice.

Junebug I can totally relate to your feeling isolated at times, it is tough, one of my good friends in the US took care of her mom for a very long time and it does take a toll on people, not easy at all. Whatever makes you feel better, do that, please come here and talk, we are here for you, you should not have to feel alone. Not sure what else you enjoy, well bling yes and you definitely have amazingly beautiful bling, or shopping online, anyhow I just want to make sure that you do have some positive stimulation and small pleasures in life because taking care of a person is very draining emotionally too. I helped my friend with her mom sometimes when I had time and my mom worked with elderly people after she retired, just taking care of one person at a time. It is a beautiful thing but you must make sure you take care of yourself too and it is very important to pay attention to your emotional well-being, happiness, as I said small pleasures too. What do you enjoy doing normally? I am happy that you are here I do hope you had a great evening with your dh. I normally do ok when I am alone, in fact there are times I enjoy being withdrawn at home, working online and also just having fun and talking to friends but too much is too much and of course we get much less positive stimulation and activity when we are home.

Missy, I know you go through the same thing sometimes. We will be here for you. I think I will be working less in January and February too, well, maybe at home I will but you know the beginning of the year in what I do is not exactly fun or stimulating. It is a time to build up new things in our lives. I most likely would have done that but now it is a little difficult to focus and be active. I hope your skin is better, I am sure your leg is better, it totally sounds like it to me from your accounts and I am really so very proud of you.

Callie, it totally touched me that you would have drug me out for dinner, I so wish Girls that we lived closer, I really think we would have great GTGs and if one was down a bit we would be there for support and we would have so much fun! Like I said before I imagine just having a morning coffee, a great dinner, wonderful conversations, hmm, shopping anyone? Well, at least we can share here.

Kristie and LLJsmom hope you are fine, hope that you are enjoying Tahoe with the family LLJsmom. Marcy, I am glad you are off now because I have been worried about your working quite honesty. I hope you are not getting a secondary bacterial infection, I used to work when I was sick and then develop something awful so I do worry about you, let us know how you are.

I was going to some very general comments on custom orders, some thoughts that came to my mind because I do it for myself and others and I see the advantages of it and the drawbacks. I find that when we are making something for myself it is a lot of fun but because I can watch most of the process, I have done it both ways, being there the whole time or having a a bit of a surprise, not being there. Here is the thing, if you are there you feel a part of the whole thing and to me it defeated everything but of course I realize this is not possible for others but it taught me many things about how many times during the custom process questions can arise when you can go one way or the other. Sometimes it is really hard to clearly set preferences when things cannot be seen IRL in the making. If then you are not there and perhaps communication is difficult or it is hard to imagine certain things then you may be unpleasantly surprised about the end result. Conversely, you can also be very pleasantly surprised. It may be noone's fault as it has been mentioned but it can also happen that what you envisioned does not look great IRL or does not look great on a certain person. Or things look a lot better than you ever thought they would. It is also a bit difficult to decide everything when you do not see things in person, like how curved, how pointy, etc., I think with tons of communication and really tons of experience things can work out wonderfully because unique, handforged pieces can be amazing and I have also been very pleasantly surprised in the past. But that said if you try on pieces that are ready then you know what to expect, it is there right away to have and you know that it looks great on you. I think that most people prefer to go this route because then you also instantly fall in love with the jewelry. Anyhow, not sure if I was clear about this and these are just my general thoughts, nothing wrong going either way; custom or buying jewelry from stock, it really is a matter of preference and we may even love both. I know I do because I love antiques too. Hmm, no clue if I made sense girls.

Again Happy New Year! Hope to hear from you soon.

 

[marcy]

Hi Ladies! Happy New Year! I hope we all have a fabulous year in 2015! It has been really nice for me to get to know a little bit about all of you and to come here to see how things are going in your life. I like how helpful and supportive all of you are with each other.

Junebug, I hate it when I lose a long post. How was your dinner for NYE? It was in the 20’s here today and seemed pretty warm compared to what we’ve had outside lately. I am glad your sister can work out coming to help with your mom. I know it is hard taking care of your mom so I am glad you can get a break when your sister comes. I am with you and Missy; boring it better. I am glad you come here to talk to us.

Missy, I didn’t realize NYC was so rainy. Even though we have lots of cold here we actually see the sun more often than not. Marty gets Timberline hiking boots and we both like Merrill. I think I’ll look for some new snow boots this month. I haven’t given much thought to surgery; you can say I avoid thinking of such things. Marty is thinking about getting a bike for the man cave and we are hoping my knees can take it and will give me exercise. I hope you do get a nice and early spring. We get our most storms in March and April but at least it’s warmer and melts a little faster than it does now. The only melting going on now is from the Sun. The side streets are still pretty snowy. How were the fireworks? As for games we like; we like Scrabble, hearts, cribbage and trivial pursuit. What board games do you like to play? Is your niece doing better?

Ovi, this is a great bunch of ladies. Everyone seems so friendly, helpful and caring. It’s nice. I hope you have a restful weekend. Thank you for the good discussion on custom jewelry. A few pieces I’ve had made locally turned out great, some not so much. The cool thing about custom jewelry is it’s all yours; no one will have anything like it. I think working on a custom design remotely is far more difficult. I want a new ering sometime but unless I can try it on I’m not going to buy it. RHR; I would be willing to go for something I design (or imagine). I think being able to see them work on a custom piece every step of the way would be interesting and fun.

Callie, I worry about the crazy, drunk drives on NYE too. That is why I usually try to get something going at home. How was your dinner? Can you see the fireworks from your home? I hope your brother gets better soon? Pneumonia is scary. My cough isn’t as deep and I am sneezing. I am not nearly as tired so that is progress. I am keeping an eye on breathing. I’ve had many rounds of bronchitis and I know when I reach that point it’s time for medicine. When it’s really cold I’ll put my pj’s in the dryer for 10 minutes before I put them on to go to bed. I wear lots of layers of fleece. My iPad has been glitchy since a recent upgrade too. Marty loves this one – I can’t click on something to add it to my cart.

Our potluck and card games party was fun last night. We played Cards Against Humanity for hours. That game is so wrong. Laughing makes me cough so I was coughing a lot during that game. Then we played a few round of cribbage. Most people were here until about 12:45 then I loaded one batch of dishes in the dishwasher and rinsed everything else before going to bed. I hate getting up and having some dirty, smelly dishes in the kitchen. I got to bed by 2 but couldn’t sleep.

I had to run in to work for about an hour today because my work laptop says my password is invalid. I can get to everywhere on the work network except to where I actually do the work. I could have paged our conditional access department and had them reset it but I hated to do that on a holiday.

I got our astronomy newsletter for January posted and worked on cleaning the house today. My crud is still whining at me so I plan on being lazy the rest of the day. Next week is going to stink working 5 entire days.

We were going to run to Denver tomorrow and pick up Marty’s watch (that new one he bought a few months ago that had a screw come out of his band) but that jeweler is closed until Jan. 5.

I hope we have a wonderful 2015!

Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls, I hope everyone us having a good start to the New Year.

Missy, I hope you and Greg are enjoying your time at the beach house. We went shopping today and the mall was empty. Everything was so picked over. I bought hair extensions. I'm just going to use them if we are going someplace special to make my hair look a little thicker. My husband thinks I've lost my mind.

Marcy, Your post had me laughing out load. My husband wishes he could find an IPad that would not let me put items in the cart for me! My iPad seems to act up the most when I'm on Pricescope. Although I'm sure the reason for this is that I'm always on PriceScope.

We were talking about Cards Against Humanity at our last family get together. We play games usually once a year and someone was saying we needed to play this one.

I'm glad you are feeling better and were able to get together with friends. We had a great time at dinner last night. The food was amazing. We were home before 10:00 PM. The fireworks are random ones from the neighbors. Not a big display, just a lot of noise.

Do you want to change your engagement ring setting? I was surprised to hear you would like something different.

OV, Of course I would have dragged you out with us for dinner. I would have let you feel bad. I just would not have let you do it alone.
I hope today was a little better for you and that you are taking good care of yourself.

I wish I was comfortable with custom designing jewelry. Because I have made a few mistakes, I need to see the finished product before I make a purchase. It's just too costly if you are not happy with the end result.

 

[junebug17]

Happy New Year everyone!

Missy, thank you for your nice words, it's very comforting to realize that I can pop in here for company, support, and even a good laugh! And of course I am here to do the same for you! We all are - you are so caring and supportive of all of us and I want to do the same for you. I just re-read my post and I did a pretty good job of throwing myself a little pity party lol! A lot of people are dealing with much worse situations, and I usually try to look on the bright side but sometimes the dark side creeps in a bit; I guess that's only natural and a part of being human. Thank you for understanding!

Marcy, I'm glad you had a good time on NYE! Dinner was great, dh and I had a really nice time. One of the sides that came with my dinner was cauliflower puree - I had major doubts I'd like it, but it turned out to be delicious! It was pretty darn close to eating mashed potatoes. I looked up the recipe when I got home and it's fairly simple. I've been trying to eat a low carb diet lately (although I have fallen off the wagon, very hard, this past week! ) so I'm excited to try it. The recipe does call for a little milk and butter, but I'm ok with that. Hope you continue to feel better, you have a bad case of something for sure! I hope it's just a bad cold and starts clearing up soon for you. I'm a little worried though, head to the doctor if you're not seeing much of an improvement soon!

Ovi, your tribute to Puma was really beautiful - and thank you for your nice words to me in that thread, I feel the same about you! I have really enjoyed getting to know you, you are clearly a terrific person and it would be so fun to be able to get together IRL. Thank you for thinking of me, you're so kind and you're also right. I have to work at not letting caregiving define me, and develop other interests and focus on myself a little. My therapist tells me the same things that you did haha! I do like to paint, and I want to learn how to play the piano so I'm going to start making time for those things. I'm glad the pet loss forum is helping you a little and bringing you a bit of comfort - it is so like you to end up helping others with their grief as you struggle with yours. You're a good person Ovi.

Calliecake, I'm with you about not wanting to be on the roads too much on NYE! One reason I don't really enjoy NYE is because I have 20 something kids who want to go out and every year I'm really nervous about what they're doing, who's driving, drunk drivers on the road etc. This year worked out great - my daughter went out to dinner with her boyfriend and some friends, and he's not a drinker so he was the DD (thank you I knew there was a reason I liked that guy ha). My son ended up having a few friends over and I told him they had to sleep over if they were drinking. I couldn't live with myself if one of them had left the house and had an accident. Turns out a few of them didn't drink so they were able to drive the others home. Whew, made it through another NYE! This holiday doesn't help my anxiety issues! So glad you enjoyed your night out!

LLJsmom, hope you're having a fabulous time skiing! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Kristie, hope you, dh, and your furbabies had an enjoyable NYE!

 

[marcy]

Callie, I am glad dinner was nice last night. I hate those random fireworks going off all night; they always startle me when I'm sleeping. I am sure our husbands would love an app that inhibits our ability to shop online. Too funny. Marty doesn't really care but he sure thinks it's funny when I can't add something to a shopping cart. I would definitely recommend cards against humanity for an entertaining game; it works best with at least 6 people. Disclaimer though; don't play it if you are easily offended. As for my ering story, it's not that I don't like it; there is nothing wrong with it at all. It's a nice solid, subtle setting and although it goes with both my wedding bands neither combination looks like a matching set. I think the Tiffany band looks the best with my ering. The wedding bands are wider than the band on my ering and sometimes I think I want a wider band for my solitaire. But I worry a wider band would detract from my diamond and I also think that would be a lot of band on my finger - about 8mm between the 2 rings. I don't foresee me tiring of either of my bands so if I ever do get a new ering I would have to like it with both of them. Marty thinks I should buy another Tiffany Etoile and have WF mount my diamond on it then I'd have a matching set. At this point in time it's only something I contemplate.

 

[marcy]

Junebug, I think you are entitled to an occasional pity party because being a caregiver is extremely challenging. It’s definitely important to find things you enjoy doing for yourself and to spend some me time to give yourself a break. I am glad your dinner last night was really good. Cauliflower puree sounds interesting. It’s nice to find something new to try. Marty made a drink yesterday for the non-drinking ladies who came to our party out of English cucumbers and sugar. They seemed to really like it. Thanks for thinking about me; I am not coughing as much tonight so in my book that’s progress.

 

[azstonie]

If you can't have a pity party with your budsters...

My husband is very stoic. He used to think *I* was stoic also. I can suck it up in certain scenarios but in others, like illness, I am not. This was a real adjustment in the marriage

So it's great to have friends you need not front for

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls,

Missy, We just finished watching Nebraska. It was such a good money. Thank you recommending it. We watched Silver Linings Playbook on Christmas. We have been catching up on the movies we have missed.

Junebug, Please don't ever feel you can't talk to us if something is bothering you. Being a caretaker is emotionally draining. It's very hard to do, especially when taking care of our loved ones. You are bound to have hard days especially when you put everyone else's need before your own. My dad had been in a serious accident about 10 years ago. I spent everyday at the hospital from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm everyday. My dad lived in another state so I was staying in a hotel. I remember how exhausted I was every night. I would talk to my husband on the phone and tell him I could not believe how tired I was. Junebug, I only did this for 3 weeks. My husbands father had Alzheimer's. I know how difficult being the caretaker is. I hope you know we will all support you any way we can.

I can certainly understand how nervous NYE must make you now that you kids are in their early twenties. It would make me a nervous wreck. When they are young I just don't think they understand how one bad decision can destroy their entire life. I used to drill it into my nieces and nephews heads that they could always call us if they were afraid to call their parents.

Marcy, My sister in law was saying you need a group of people to play the game. The last time we had about 10 people playing that's when they said they wished they had the cards against humanity game. It sounds like there may be a new ring in your future.

Kristie, I missed you! How was your NYE?

 

[missy]

Ovi, when you were getting to sleep New Year's Eve I had already been up for an hour and a half. Too funny.

I am glad the pet loss forum is a comfort to you. I never checked that out but I imagine how helpful it must be to share stories of our beloved animals and share the feelings of loss and pain. It really helps to have support in one's life no matter how we get that support or whom we lean on. I hope you had a better day yesterday and an even better one today. I am thinking of you and sending virtual hugs your way.


Marcy, your NYE sounds perfect to me. I would have loved playing board games and card games. I never heard of the card game Cards against Humanity. I want to play. We love irreverent games and are not easily insulted. When are you ladies coming to visit...I think that would make it at least 6 to play...

Most of the games we play now are with 2 people and really we only started after I became housebound as Greg is not a big fan of card or board games. I love scrabble, chinese checkers, card games and many more that escape my memory right now. We haven't played though for months and truthfully I prefer to be active now when I can and hope the days and days of board games are over unless I want to play and not because I am stuck inside unable to go out. We used to play lots of games with my family when I was younger. Risk, chess, charades, monopoly, trivial pursuit, password and a hundred more. My dad loved playing and so did I. My mom and sister weren't as big fans of them as we were but we all played together. It was a nice family activity to do.

I love that you are an astronomy fan. It is a fascinating hobby and one day I would like to explore it more. I would love to hear more about it when you have the time and desire to talk about it. Like do you belong to an astronomy club and does Marty share your love of astronomy? I imagine the equipment can be pricey.

I hate it when it becomes difficult or impossible to access work from the home computers. Greg sometimes has that issue and he calls the help desk and they usually are able to fix it but not sure if it happened on a holiday what he would do. If we were in NJ he would have to bother them because it would be too far to get back to the office but if we were in NY it would be a quick trip in though I still think if IT is there it would be OK to contact them instead of making the trip. Glad you were able to take care of it without too much of a problem though I am sorry you had to make the trip to the office on a holiday.

It does rain a lot here in NY and NJ and I long for the sun especially in the winter months. It can be very dreary here much of the time when it is cold. I think you need to get some nice new snow boots Marcy...the stores should be having sales on them still I think being we are right in the winter season now.

I hope you are feeling all better by now! Oh and that cucumber and sugar drink Marty made sounds yummy. I love cucumbers and sugar. Please share that recipe if you remember it.


Callie, it's so weird because the malls by us were mobbed and in fact I left Nordstrom because it was too crowded for me and I agree that everything was picked over anyway so not interested. Looking forward to hearing your assessment of the boots when you go to the SW store downtown with your nieces.

I am glad you enjoyed Nebraska. It was a nice movie. We saw Silver Linings Playbook when it first came out in the movies and we liked that also. I enjoy movies but I am picky and now rarely go to the theater as I prefer to be able to start watching and stop as necessary and also just call it quits when we don't like the movie whereas we are less likely to leave a movie (though we have) if we are in the theater. We started watching Remembrance last night and so far so good but had to stop in the middle as I was sleepy and wanted to go to bed. I think we will finish it tonight. I love having Greg home as when he is working I cannot sit still long enough to watch a movie by myself.


Junebug, I am so glad you are comfortable to come here whenever you want. It is so lovely having your company here and we all love you. I know I have said it before but it bears repeating. Your mom and your dh and your children are very lucky to have you in their life. (((Hugs))).

I have wanted to try cauliflower puree though I would want to substitute something for the milk and butter as I don't do dairy. It sounds delicious and it is a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes for sure. If I find a good substitute for the dairy ingredients I will share them here.


LLJsmom, hope you are enjoying the best vacation ever and skiing up a storm with the family!

If you can't have a pity party with your budsters...

My husband is very stoic. He used to think *I* was stoic also. I can suck it up in certain scenarios but in others, like illness, I am not. This was a real adjustment in the marriage

So it's great to have friends you need not front for

Kristie, I agree completely. It's great to be strong and stoic at times and not always wear your heart on your sleeve but it is also great to be able to share how you are feeling and what is going on in your thoughts and your life. Feelings of loss and pain and sadness shared lightens the load a bit IMO and makes everything a little better. A little less heavy on the mind.

This thread has been so helpful for me and I hope everyone here feels they can share so we all can have a little bit of a lighter load of challenges to manage. It's funny because IRL I have a few good friends whom I know I can count on and this year has taught me who is really there for me and well who is there when times are sweet and not so much when things get tough.

That's what friends do-they are there for you through all sorts of time. Good and bad, easy and difficult, smooth and challenging and we all know this year has been challenging for many of us.

When I think of all of you ladies I think of you as friends without the PS in front of that word. (((Hugs))).

 

[Sunstorm]

Pity parties.) Sounds great to me, I wish we could all sometimes join for one. It would definitely be great if we lived close, how many times have we said that?) There would always be someone there, if you are overwhelmed Junebug, Marty is on a trip for Marcy or like now Marcy though I still really wonder how you could even have parties when you are so sick and worried about you. Of course it would be nice just whatever reason, not just when someone is down but also when someone wants to talk about things like you Callie about your dead or Kristie you can share about Finn, LLJsmom about the kids and what not and we definitely want Missy to be the centerstage of attention! We miss you Missy! We can try cheering each other up and sharing in the fun times as well here but of course it is not the same as if we could meet, I think we really need to organize a GTG.

It still make me feel so nice that I would have been dragged out for dinner, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Yeah, things are not great, I feel locked in and isolated right now. Living in the middle of nowhere sort of, well close to big metropolis but not really near anything in the close proximity is really difficult, in this weather with the big snow it is even harder. Thank you again to those that have commented about Puma and on this thread too, it means a lot to me! Right now I think I am just going stir crazy from being home for a week almost , no stimulation, no positive energy, nada. Of course my friends call me all the time which is really nice and I do enjoy spending a couple of days home to connect with everyone but not more than that at any given time. It was ok, now I had enough.

My husband is useless in this regard, you all have wonderful husbands, not me, the biggest mistakes in my life have always been relationships. I am pretty sure I need to end this as not only he is never there, his behavior only makes things worse when the one thing I would like to ask for is be left alone if someone is not there for me, supporting me or spending time with me ever. I dream of going back to the capital to live, at least a few of my friends were there. Not possible as I have the dogs too but I just feel that I need to move and have some big changes in my life. I am definitely working on positive changes and see some things I can work on to decide what direction to go in. Anyhow, I do not want to rant girls and sorry for venting but sometimes it feels good to be able to share.

Yes, the pet loss chat really really helps, even when I try to offer support, I cannot say why, I do not need to talk about myself nonstop or my loss but I do want to be there for others. It is a group of people that can relate and there are definitely some really great people there too. Chatting is a bit more like real life than posting, I do both but I also feel that sometimes the best therapy is to help others.

Dear Missy, I hope you come over soon and doing ok at least today. We are all here to listen and share even if you have nothing real positive to share right now. The beach house had to be really nice though. But cry on our shoulders if you need to, we love you no less for less.

Junebug, yes it is extremely draining in every sense to be a caretaker, emotionally, physically, yes you can get extremely tired in every way. I am not sure if you talked about your mom here, her condition, I would love to know more about you Junebug. I too have anxiety badly but managing it very well now with medications, I had to because though I used to not have this problem, I think it intensifies with age and of course I had too many traumas too, I think it also runs in my family. If you do not feel good come here and please share with us, perhaps we can lift a bit of the weight off your shoulders, it really is ok. I tell you that life is not only great things but hardness and sadness too and when we really care we are there during bad times too, I know I want to be for you girls.

Marcy if you do not get better please see a doctor. I almost died of pneumonia as a child, it was viral and no meds were working, weeks in the hospital, finally the last med they had hopes for helped. I did get bronchitis going into pneumonia two years ago but fortunately antibiotics helped right away. You know the difference as your chest starts really hurting differently and it hurts to breathe, does not sound like you have it but just watch out please. I have the feeling that you will be ok though, I was going to say since you are very active but then when I was sick two years ago I went to a party drugged up with fever and pain meds only to go to emergency afterwards. In my case echinacea works wonders in boosting my immune system.

LLJsmom, I bet you are having an awesome time, fill us in please once you get home.

Kristie how is everything with you now? Still spoiling dear Finn rotten? I am sorry if it escapes my mind now but any new bling for you for Xmas or other exciting stuff?

Girls, I have never played cards against humanity what is it? Perhaps we have a different name for it here. Would be fun to do that too.

Hugs to everyone and have a great day.

 

[missy]

Hi Ovi, how are you feeling today? I am the same and honestly I just don't want to chat about my face right now as it is bad. I know you are here for me and I appreciate that so much.

I am so sorry for all you are going through and I am thinking of you and always sending good thought and hugs your way. One day I will be able to give you that hug in person!

 

[Sunstorm]

Thanks dear Missy, you are so very kind! Yes, I think we have to meet up sometime, organize a Missy's friends PS GTG) Seriously though. It is still plans in the making but you know I am planning on coming to the US in the spring sometime. Now, if it does really work out I would be going to California but I can stop over in NYC because anyhow I would have to transfer there. Then I just have to see you! We will talk about this but I so want to meet you.

Ok, I understand not wanting to talk about your face, sometimes we need a break from focusing on something that is really bothering us. I totally relate. But just so you know we are here to listen no matter what. We all have our issues I am sure and if someone does not want to listen, they do not have to but I really think that we are a group of empathetic warm-hearted ladies here.

Playing cards, yes we have done that a lot when I was a child too, many times during skiing trips as a teenager with family and friends too. Now I think it would still be fun but I would probably rather go shopping with you girls.) or we can do both.

I like stoic people, I wish I had more around me. I used to most definitely not be one but with age I am becoming more and more so. My husband is most definitely not it though and I much prefer that in men, I mean when they are stoic, of course we can all have our moments.)

Funny Missy, our sleep patterns are sorry but screwed up in different ways, yours is better though because now I feel I am not awake during the day, which is not true but if I sleep from 5 until 10 or 11 and it takes me an hour to have my Nespressos and be here at least, ok, now it takes me more because I love talking to you girls, then it is almost dark here and the day is gone. I much preferred it when I was an early riser and I felt I got more out of my day and felt less tired.Unfortunately by nature I am not an early riser. I have been better at it, problem is mostly even if I get up at 6 I go to bed very late. Now it has gotten out of control after Puma left. Last night I wanted to go to bed at 11 and even felt tired and it was almost 4 again. The only good thing about our patterns now Missy is that despite the time difference since you get up early we can talk a lot.) Now that I really enjoy.

 

[missy]

Haha yes because our sleep patterns are messed up a bit we can chat a lot here and in private. So true. There is a silver lining to almost everything I guess.

When I was younger I was a late night person. As in sleep till Noon on weekends and be out till all hours of the morning. Once I started real life working and had to be at work at 7AM all that changed. It took years but now I am more of a morning person and by 8PM ready for bed. I am lucky though these days to get 5 hours of sleep. I woke up at 3AM today and just could not fall back so got out of bed at 5AM and enjoyed some very strong coffee. Life's little pleasures add up they do. Glad you enjoy your Nespressos!

I am excited at the possibility of your trip to NYC and I hope I don't need to wear a mask when I meet you haha. I seriously do not want to scare you at our first meeting yanno?

I agree with you in that I like our men stoic yet able to share their feelings too. Maybe somewhat of a double standard but if Greg and I were similar in sharing our hearts on our sleeves it would be too difficult I think. He rarely complains and just does what he has to and deals with it. I can be like that but life has been so challenging for me this year and I just as Kristie wrote before have a full bucket and now it has to overflow if that makes sense. I cannot keep it in right now.

 

[Sunstorm]

Missy, you should not keep anything in, really, you are not scaring me or any of us for that matter, I am sure, we do want to hear about you whether it is good or bad, of course we would prefer hearing good news but it is not realistic. It is normal to share the downsides of life and have support, I mean it. It would not do your body any good if you kept it in, I often did too but like you said the bucket does overflow after a while and also it is also people who keep it in that usually end up seriously sick with cancern or autoimmune disease, sometimes very difficult to treat. They say that if you are able to vent and share then it will lift some of the internal stress, my mom always tells me the same. Sometimes we cannot share everything, we have to think about it or we do not share out of fear to sound negative. But all of us have problems that are negative and so what? I know it definitely does not have a negative effect on me when I hear about the problems of others, in fact I want to offer support and be there and it makes me feel good to be there rather than down.

Absolutely no worries about your looks.) You are one truly gorgeous woman, come on with that mask, you do not need that and by then will not need that for sure. I had my eye allergies real badly with red welts under my eye and huge, red swelling above from these darned lash extensions, I often get puffy eyes from allergies anyhow so then I should go wearing eyeglasses.)

Yes your body can adjust when you have to get up early every day, however, I find that even when I get up at 6 or 7 to go to work in Vienna I am not in bed before midnight but on my days home I can sleep in which I normally do so I stay up quite late and then I guess my body cannot adjust but I too have had those times when I had anxiety that I would be asleep by 10 and awake and 3, out of bed at 5. I know that is not good either. Hey, at least you had great coffee and are here with us online.

Hope you are better today, I mean that, at least in spirit, love.

 

[azstonie]

Greetings All:

My NYE: Bob and I made pizza and baked it on our new pizza stone. I just got it and I wasn't sure if it would make any difference in making the pizza in our oven but I really like it! Ordered it on Amazon and I've used it for other baked goods and it does a really good job. We also are binge watching The Blacklist, so did a bunch of those episodes

New Year's Day, I got sick Like 4 hours of GI flu---it came on 1 hour after lunch and I have no idea what the heck happened. Bob, Finn and Maggie were taking a nap so they didn't hear a thing, which is good. Our hall bathroom is on the other end of the house. Spent the rest of the day sipping ginger ale and eating the occasional cracker.

The night before our neighbors (they rent the house) set off fireworks at midnight and they sounded like they were exploding ordnance or bombs. It was actually scary because of that. Maggie runs to the farthest point of the house, the master suite closet, and puts herself behind my long dresses ("You can't SEE MEEEEEEE"). Finn trots around the house very agitated. They both pant and shake so hard they vibrate. After the fourth KA-BOOOOOM! I was getting dressed to go out there and have a word with them but Bob convinced me not to. There are times I really dislike living in this redneck-y state (legal fireworks, legal concealed carry laws, etc) and New Year's Eve is one of those times. I'm the confrontational hot-head between Bob and me.

OVi, I'm sorry to hear that about your marriage. I was married briefly prior to meeting and marrying Bob. There is no loneliness like the loneliness in a failed marriage/relationship. I wonder if something could be worked out regarding your animals?

LLJSmom---Tahoe! My relatives own a cabin there, been snowed in at Tahoe a few times The drive there used to always mean watching my dad putting chains on the tires once we got close, haha. Spanky Bridge!

Junie---you are caring for your mom? I helped care for my grandparents in their extreme old age. The first weekend doing it about killed me, I was so tired by Monday morning. I hope there are respite care agencies that you can bring in. I'm pulling for you.

Marcy, good tip re PJs in the dryer. It was 26 here last night (!) and I put a BLANKET on my bed, heehee. Bob sleeps cold so one year I bought fleece sheets for the bed. He LOVED them, I figured I was sweating so much I was losing weight every night

The footwear we swear by in Anchorage and Juneau are Sorels and then Canadiennes (stylish AND functional).

Missy---Glad you and Greg and The Gang of Four had a good time at the beach! I'm so impressed you are doing STAIRS. I still kind of have to square my shoulders and grit teeth doing more than a few stairs. The cold weather here has made my knee hurt which I hate because I used to think people with "weather knees/ankles/hips" were crazy hypochondriacs. Now I'm one of 'em. I've been hitting the Voltaren gel for the nighttime discomfort. I love that stuff like I love jeans that make me look 10 pounds lighter

Callie: I got your sunshine right here! Come see AZ, just do it before April when the hot weather gets started!

 

[missy]

Back in NY. Doesn't feel like Friday to me. More like Sunday but I will take Friday night any day over Sunday night!

Ovi, thank you for your too kind words. I am definitely not gorgeous now. How are you feeling? I hope you had a good day and I am looking forward to our morning coffee together tomorrow.

Kristie, your NYE sounded great. I love pizza and your homemade pizza sounds awesome. Now I feel like having pizza and we just ate dinner . Thanks a lot. I am so easily influenced when it comes to food talk. LOL.

I am sorry you got sick New year's day but glad it was over quickly. That's the best kind of sick if you have to be sick at all. Glad you are feeling well again!

Ugh I feel for you re the neighbors and fireworks. That would drive me nuts too. A little bit of noise OK but that was OTT. Our neighbors at the beach always have their grown children over with their kids and they can be noisy at times but in general they are not inconsiderate like that. But truthfully I would prefer no neighbors at all haha. Poor Maggie and Finn. I hope they weren't too traumatized by the fireworks. Our kitties hate them with a passion. That and thunder. You should see how fast they run and hide when we have a storm.

Don't be too impressed re the stairs. I still cannot do them in anything less than supportive shoes. If I am wearing slippers and going down the stairs it is very difficult. If I am wearing supportive shoes/boots I am OK but still a challenge so don't be too impressed. And forget about being barefoot. So I know that means I have a long way to go because I think being able to do stairs and walk more easily barefoot would mean I have more strength and ROM than I do. I mean I am thrilled to be able to go down the stairs at all with not much of a problem believe me. If my big toe wasn't a bit tender I think it would be easier but still I am satisfied.

It was great being at the beach house and I am sort of sad to be back in NY now. But that could also be the fact that there are things coming up I am not looking forward to...Greg returning to work and me being alone with my thoughts. Never a good thing these days LOL. I have my surgeon follow up visit this Thursday. A derm appointment mid Jan and not knowing what will happen re my skin. My decision about work (really nervous about that because I don't feel ready at all yet) and to continue PT or not. Too many things on my mind right now so yeah I wish I was back at the beach house away from real life for a while longer. Oh well it was a nice vacation while it lasted to be sure so I am grateful for that.

I am so sorry your knee is hurting Kristie and I hope the Voltaren gel helps you! 29 degrees is too cold and especially where you live. I think we need a place to summer in when it is winter by us. Will you join me? No more cold weather ever. That wouldn't suck.

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Girls,

Missy, I'm sorry you have not been sleeping much. It must really be frustrating. I have anxiety if I'm awake for long periods of time in the middle of the night. Things I would never worry about during the day bother me so much in the middle of the night. Do you have any fun plans for this weekend?

Kristie, Are you over being sick? There have been many cases of the flu reported around here. Have you had a flu shot? I really need to get one. Normally I do and just haven't gotten around to getting one this season.

Are you sure we don't live in the same neighborhood? My baby also hates the fireworks. She doesn't seem to get scared, just really mad. They irritate the daylights out of her. It would not be bad if they shot off a few fireworks and stopped but it can go on for hours here. They will quit for 20 minutes then start all over again. Fourth Of July fireworks last for days around here. You and I think alike. Illinois is now a conceal and carry state and it really freaks me out.

I had to laugh when you said you thought people with knee and ankle pain were hypochondriacs. We had a hardwood floors put down in our bedroom a few years back. The first couple of mornings I remember thinking what the heck. I couldn't believe how much our knees hurt us in the morning. Thank goodness it only lasted a few weeks. It lasted longer for my husband. I had aches and pains when I was working. When I stopped working, within a few weeks, all the pains seemed to disappear.

OV, I'm sorry you are unhappy in your marriage. You should be able to get a lot of your emotional support from your spouse. It make sme sad to think he doesn't support you and help you through difficult times. All marriages have their ups and downs at times but you should be able to count on your spouse. Life can be so difficult. It's nice to know you have someone in your corner. I hope you know you have us to lean on and get support from.

I can't tell you anything about the cards against humanity game as I have never played. I have just been told it's fun for a large group of people to play and if you get offended easily, you won't enjoy it.

We are supposed to be having my husband's family Christmas celebration tomorrow. The weather is supposed to get bad with snow and ice all day tomorrow. Not fun for everyone to drive in. I need that Arizona sunshine and warm weather Kristie!

We really do need to plan a get together. Have any of you attended the Pricescope get together held in Las Vegas?

 

[LLJsmom]

Hi everyone,

happy new year!

We just got back today. Wanted to check in and say hi. I haven't read everyone's posts yet, cause where we went, verizon had poor coverage. Only my DH had decent connection, and he had AT&T.

The kids had a great time, but day one was SUPER cold, for wimpy old me anyway, 20-25 degrees, and major wind. My DH and son were up in the slopes for 3-4 hours, but I did one run, and ran for the cafe. My daughter was out at least an hour, and then joined me. Day 2 was much better and I skied for about 3 hours with my daughter. Of course, my DH and son took for the intermediate slopes, and we stayed on the beginner. I have to say I am the biggest chicken. I am terrified of speed and heights, but sucked it up so I could ski with my daughter. She is definitely more hesitant and fearful like me, but at least she is willing to go up there. I want to encourage her to overcome her fears, and not let them limit what she will try in life. So there I go. My son is such a natural, easy, relaxed, coordinated and balanced, and really not really fearful of much. He sure doesn't get that from me. My DH was such a trooper and I think my son inspires him too. They watched a bunch of young jumpers take ramps, and they went and tried it too. Good for them. I keep thinking that if I get injured, I won't be able to exercise, and so I'm won't take risks. When I watch those expert skiers do those death defying leaps and tricks, I wonder how much they must ski to become that good. Probably a lot. We would have to go up a lot each season.

We were in Truckee and stayed at an inn really close to the slopes. It's our third year here, and the inn has gotten so run down that we just can't go there anymore. We stay there for the convenience because the kids were younger back then. Now, we need a new place. The door to the unit next door was unlocked. Dirty towel left in the bathroom. Weird black spots on the bathroom and I kept trying to see if they were mice poop, but I didn't really want to know. No wifi on the third floor. Breakfast gone within the first half hour. Poor lighting and dingy carpeting. Done.

New Years was lights out by 10pm. I think Ovi had a fun night, and didn't really have a chance to read much of anything else. Will check back in soon.

And I packed so much junk food, although not all of it was THAT bad. I have an obsession with popchips, and skinny pop, and these yummy cheese puff things, and I packed a ton of them and ate so much. Oh well. It was cold. lol!

It was weird though. On the first day that we got there, I really did not want to ski. It was too cold and windy. I am amazed that my DH was tough enough to go with my son. I really think that most of the time, I am the downer. The kids are always asking me to go out and do stuff, and I am too self-involved to do anything. I felt really depressed, but I was glad I tried one run. When my kids came back, they were happy, so I was glad to be there to see them happy. The next day, the weather was better, and I did ski. That made me feel somewhat better. Today, I woke up with a migraine, and asked for the Advil the second I was awake. My DH took care of everything, packing, the kids, all of it. All I had to do was organize the food and drag my tired ass into the car. I seriously don't know what would have happened if I married someone else. We got back, and he drove the kids to martial arts lessons while I stayed at home and cleaned. At least I did that. It's the exercise. I didn't get it today, and combine that with a migraine from "go" and I am down for the day. I just have to keep myself together, stop making everything about me, quit being such a downer, and just focus on the kids. Thank the lord I have a long run first thing in the morning tomorrow. Man, exercise is my drug/addiction. I don't know how I survived so many years without it. Well, I do know. I ate my weight. Anyway, I will stop this blah, blah, blah. No woe is me crap. So many people have real trials and tribulations, and mine are all in my freakin' head.

Sorry, I digressed.

 

[azstonie]

I think a GTG for us in 2015 would be great! If there was enough interest, we could meet someplace that would be central to our locations although for Ovi it'd all be the same if it was in the US.

We could pick a good jewelry-ish location too or you guys could come here and we could do the Tucson show in 2016 (its always the end of January to mid-February). The weather is nice here November through March. We have some good jewelers for field trips---Molina Jewels, Oliver Smith, Coffin & Trout, Tiffany, Bulgari and quite a few more at the Scottsdale Fashion Center. Shopping and dining is good.

If another GTG starts up, we could grab on to that too!

marcy, you're nearest to Denver? Missy, NYC. Callie, Chicago? Junebug and LLJsmom, CA? Ovi, Wien?

Thoughts?

 

[azstonie]

LLJSmom.

I feel ya. 4 years ago I was in bad shape. I did my best to hide it from my husband and friends and I did a good job.

Please, get that book by Jim Phelps, MD, l referenced earlier in the thread. Please don't be put off by the title referencig bipolar II. I'm not bipolar but this was *the* book that contributed the most to getting myself well. Most physicians, including those working in mental health, are working with a stone age mentality, and in particular regarding meds. This book excels in particular regarding the risks and benefits of meds.

I heard about this book from a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinjc when I worked there.

Depression, anxiety are on "the spectrum" and can happen concurrently. Mis-medicating one can bring on the other.

Don't apologize for yourself--you wouldn't if you had hypertension, or eczema, or glaucoma.

Addressing this is important because once you've had depression or anxiety for a period of time, the odds are very high it'll return later, and worse, if you try to gut it out alone.

I'm here if ya need me.

 

[LLJsmom]

Marcy, just wanted to see how you are doing. I hope much better. If you aren't you will see a doctor, won't you? I just have to tell you that your Marty is HILAROUS!!

Marty says it’s the evil coming out of me.

Another LOL moment from your DH.

Missy, no judgement here. Get and buy what you like and enjoy. It is different things for different people. I would get a lot more jewelry if I had the disposable funds.

I think about my mom and her sisters. They grew up really poor, like cannot go to school because they did not have $25 to pay the tuition poor. 8 people in one bedroom poor. As adult women with jobs and income, they bought everything. And not just one of everything, multiples of everything. Anyway, my mom isn't so bad. She still does tend to hoard and accumulate, and not nearly as extreme as her sisters who rooms full of unopened LV and Hermes boxes stacked 6-7 feet high. I have a couple cousins who shop because it is a way they all bond. I have other cousins who have gone in the extreme opposite direction. Won't buy clothes until they are falling apart (literally), won't get their hair cut professionally cause it's a waste of money, won't go out or spend money unless it is not on their dime. One wants to save the world, and has been living and working in Africa since she graduated from grad school, lived for years in the Congo, Tanzania, and tons of remote third world countries. I don't know. I'm babbling. I just see extremes of many kinds, and don't think nice shoes and clothes are anything that should be judged.

Btw, how is your skin feeling...

 

[Calliecake]

LLJsmom, I am so sorry you have a migrane. I hope your starting to feeling better. Please quit being so hard on yourself sweetie. Your kids had a great time, your husband had a great time, your children have wonderful memories. The vacation was a success! You also don't get to call yourself a wimp. You went on the slopes on the first day and stayed on them for 3 hours the second day. A wimp would never do that. I know, i'm a wimp. I'm from Chicago and even I know 20 degrees and extreme wind equal very COLD. You could not have gotten me in that cafe fast enough. You are a great mom, just ask your children. You will feel much better tomorrow after you finish your run. I've missed you the past couple days

Kristie, I'm in Chicago. We have great food and great shopping but it's really cold here in January and February. I almost positive I'm going on a trip at the end of January. Will know for sure on Sunday.

 

[LLJsmom]

I think a GTG for us in 2015 would be great! If there was enough interest, we could meet someplace that would be central to our locations although for Ovi it'd all be the same if it was in the US.

We could pick a good jewelry-ish location too or you guys could come here and we could do the Tucson show in 2016 (its always the end of January to mid-February). The weather is nice here November through March. We have some good jewelers for field trips---Molina Jewels, Oliver Smith, Coffin & Trout, Tiffany, Bulgari and quite a few more at the Scottsdale Fashion Center. Shopping and dining is good.

If another GTG starts up, we could grab on to that too!

marcy, you're nearest to Denver? Missy, NYC. Callie, Chicago? Junebug and LLJsmom, CA? Ovi, Wien?

Thoughts?

Hey...January - mid-Feb would work great for me. That is my down time during work. I'm grounded after Feb 15. No vacay until April 15. Oct 15- Nov (until holidays) is good for me too. December, no good. If it works out, I am willing to travel.

 

[LLJsmom]

LLJSmom.

I feel ya. 4 years ago I was in bad shape. I did my best to hide it from my husband and friends and I did a good job.

Please, get that book by Jim Phelps, MD, l referenced earlier in the thread. Please don't be put off by the title referencig bipolar II. I'm not bipolar but this was *the* book that contributed the most to getting myself well. Most physicians, including those working in mental health, are working with a stone age mentality, and in particular regarding meds. This book excels in particular regarding the risks and benefits of meds.

I heard about this book from a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinjc when I worked there.

Depression, anxiety are on "the spectrum" and can happen concurrently. Mis-medicating one can bring on the other.

Don't apologize for yourself--you wouldn't if you had hypertension, or eczema, or glaucoma.

Addressing this is important because once you've had depression or anxiety for a period of time, the odds are very high it'll return later, and worse, if you try to gut it out alone.

I'm here if ya need me.

Thanks Kristie. Just bought the paperback. Should receive it by Monday.

 

[azstonie]

Good going, relief is on the way.

 

[LLJsmom]

Ovi, just let it flow. If you feel like dumping, or the thoughts are there, on the edge, let it overflow onto the thread. No judgment here. And I do have to say, I'm so sorry about your mom. So sorry. Nothing intelligent to say. Just that moms can hurt like no other. I need to remember that myself.

 

[marcy]

Hi Ladies!

Kristie, you are so right; if we can’t come here and have a pity party with our PS buddies, where can we go? Marty is pretty stoic as well. I generally control my emotions pretty well but of course I don’t always succeed. How awful to get sick on NYE; I am glad it didn’t last long though. I am glad you like your new pizza stone. I hate to hear Maggie and Finn got so agitated and scared by your inconsiderate neighbors. We had fleece blankets for the RV; I loved them. I am always cold too. I hear Voltaren gel is great stuff, but as you say so are jeans that make you look 10 pounds lighter. Yes, I am close to Denver.

Callie, this is a great weekend to catch up on movies. I want to watch the new Denzel Washington one on VOD; I think it is the Equalizer. Marty is watching some Frankenstein movie now though. You are a very good aunt making sure your nieces and nephews know they can always call you. I tried to instill that in my nieces and nephews too but none of them live locally. Have fun at the family Christmas tomorrow; be careful in the snow and ice though.

Missy, your list of games brings back a lot of memories. As kids we played games as a family because as you are probably gathering – on cold and snowy nights in Wyoming there isn’t much to do. Marty and I used to play games when we were camping. I like to put together jigsaw puzzles too. I think I’ll work on my last Snoopy puzzle one when Marty leaves again.

As for astronomy, I absolutely love it. I taught astronomy as an adjunct at our local community college for 21 years. Marty is very much in to astronomy as well. He is the president and I am the secretary, treasure and editor of our local astronomy club. I put out a monthly newsletter which I really enjoy doing.

A lot of the IT and conditional access guys at work used to work with or for Marty so they are generally pretty nice to me but I sure hated to bother them on a holiday. As much work as I had to do it was easier to do it on a PC rather than a laptop anyway.

I did get some snow boots today. They are pink inside. It says they are waterproof and rated to 25 below. Now as long as they are good walking on ice, I’ll be good to go.

Sorry to hear you hated to leave the beach and go home. You do have a lot going on this month with appointments and decisions.

Here is the link to the cucumber recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/mean-green-cucumber-juice-recipe.html

LLJsmom, I am glad your family got in a lot of skiing. It sounds like everyone had a fabulous time and you certainly aren’t a wimp not wanting to be out in that cold of weather. I would definitely look for a new place to stay as well. I hope your migraine is gone tonight. Marty is pretty funny but I don’t always admit that to him. We laugh a lot which this week I kept telling him to quit making me laugh because then I start coughing.

Ovi, it would be nice if we lived close enough for a GTG. The only reason I didn’t cancel the NYE party at our house is because we’d been making plans for weeks. Marty helps me out with cooking, getting out dishes and cleaning up so I knew it wouldn’t all be on me. Sorry you are getting snowed on too. It was warm enough to start melting today here. I bet you are ready to get out of the house after being home for a week. It sounds like you have some tough choices going through your mind right now. I am carefully watching my breathing; I am glad they found meds to help you when you were sick with pneumonia as a child. That is very scary. Echinacea swells my throat shut so I stay away from it. Sadly, I hear it works wonders.

Cards against humanity has question cards and answer cards. Every player gets 10 answer cards and everyone takes turns reading a question. Each player places their answer card on a pile (and one answer card is drawn from the deck) then the person whose turn it is reads all the answers and picks when answer they like the best. Many of the questions and answers can be rude, insensitive, crude or down right nasty. Usually the answer that makes you laugh the hardest is the one that gets picked. It’s not for those easily offended; that is for sure.

We ran errands today and both of us bought boots. Of course I had to pick up some new socks, gloves and hat to go in my giant tub of other hats, gloves and socks.

I got the laundry done and Marty is in the final stages right now of taking down the tree. I started another Lee Child book (Jack Reacher series) so it's been keeping me busy today.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

LLJsmom,

I am so so sorry, I took your post entirely the wrong way and thought you were joking. Now I see you are really feeling bad. Is there anything I can do to help you? Hugs