@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

Hello, I was typing a message and it went away. I'm at work, worked Thanksgiving night and the rest of the week-end. I had time to write news, but didn't at the time -- now its late and I just want to let you know I will get back here and write more. I hope you had a nice Holiday time, BRB soon.

Hello! I had a good holiday weekend, visiting with my kids, my son's mother-in-law, and some of my family. My son planned a winery tour for Sunday and that was very nice. We went to 4 wineries starting near Fredbg and working west. Four tastings was a lot of wine in a short time for me, and apparently for her mom as well. My son took a lovely picture in the car on the way home, of both moms fast asleep in the back seat, my mouth hanging wide open. Super flattering, NOT!

I made myself go out shopping last night after work in Fredbg and actually had a pretty nice time. I am not a big shopping fan because of crowds and traffic, but I didn't go to the mall and I managed to get around without too much aggravation. I am getting a lot of my presents from local artisans, and some stuff online, so I didn't have a whole lot to buy. I'm not done yet but I made a good dent. Plus, I had a nice wine coupon from Wegman's so between the wineries and the coupon, I'm well stocked for a while!

My eating has been so-so this past week but I did better with exercising. My energy is pretty well returned after that cold. I actually wanted to sleep in today because I don't have to be anywhere early and it is tiring getting up at 5:30 all week, but I only made it to 6:15 and then couldn't get back to sleep. My shoulder is getting worse and really holding me back. It's even painful to unhook my bra or try to get my arm into a tight coat or backpack. I emailed my doctor, who is actually a PA, to see if she can order an MRI for me. I will have to go see her, but that is better than wasting a more expensive visit to a specialist. The last time I saw an orthopedist (2.5 yrs ago), he insisted my shoulder was fine and the pain was all caused by the herniated discs in my neck. I'm sure that is a big contributing factor, but my shoulder is getting worse where my neck is not, so I think maybe something is torn. I'd at least like to rule that out with an MRI. He would only order a neck MRI which only showed what we already knew about the herniated discs. So frustrating.

Last week my husband finally cleared enough of his clutter from the living room floor that we can get to the fireplace insert, and we had some lovely fires over last weekend. Once I actually get myself up out of bed, I'm going to make one this morining!

I hope your week is going well!

Hello! My week was not very eventful, which is a good thing sometimes! I did my regular exercise and ate so-so. I am trying not to go too overboard with eating until I go up to visit my mom. We will have lots of homemade cookies etc. there. I have been wanting to go hiking but have not had time and/or it was raining.

The state park here, Caledon, does a holiday hay ride with caroling, and then you go back to the visitor's center for hot chocolate and a reading of The Night Before Christmas. I took my kids twice when they were younger, and have been wanting to go back myself. My daughter-in-law and other son's gf agreed to go with me Friday night. Then it rained, and the park called to say there would be an indoor craft in place of the hayride. The girls still agreed to go with me and drove all the way out here in the dark and rain. We were almost a half hour early and there is not much to the visitor's center to look at. Then we were the only people from our group who showed up so it was just us 3. The craft was a paper snowflake which the lady dragged out for almost 15 minutes. We sang carols anyway, and then the story. It was pretty boring and lame compared to how it would have been on the hayride with a group. They were very good sports and told me they enjoyed it. Maybe we can try again next year!

We have fun dress up days this week at school. Tomorrow is ugly sweater day. I have a great fuzzy white sweater with a sequin reindeer. Friday is PJ day which everyone loves!

A lady I know contacted me about getting some cheese to give her daughter's Greek fiance for Christmas, because he has not liked the goat cheese he has bought at stores in the US. I am excited to do it, but also nervous because I never know when my cheese will turn out or not, and whether people will like it! Yesterday I started a soft cheese that should be ready in time, and also some feta. I cut into a hard cheese that I have been aging since July and it is really good. The rind of that one is "natural" which means no wax or cloth, and it gets mold on it that you just brush off. A natural rind is not very pretty. I don't know if people will be put off by the appearance, but once they cut off the rind, the cheese is very yummy. The other one I have is a cheddar that I made in August, and that is clothbound so the rind will look nicer.

My appointment with my PA is Friday afternoon, and hopefully she will order an MRI on my shoulder. That's it for me this week. I hope you are doing well, my friend!

Oh you poor thing - paper snowflakes! Fine for preschoolers, but you'd think they could come up with something a little more upbeat and unique. Oh well - sometimes you just gotta smile and get on with it. Time with the gals is at least some conversation and family stories. I'm glad you are making an effort to save the splurging for your visit with your mom.

I'm at work and have already eaten too many cookies. One of the break rooms has a table full. They had a cookie exchange but i think they left most of them on the table. Some really yummy ones and different than the usual - I am going to TRY not go in that door the rest of the weekend. Wish me well on that plan. I ate OK last week at home and exercise as usual. Plus - getting a 30 min. walk with Rachael at the mall 5 days - its too cold for me to walk outside. Santa is there some evening and he recognizes her now.She says "Ho ho" but doesn't like to get too close.

Your cheeses all sound delicious to me. I bet folks pay up for cheese like you make in the specialty stores. I doubt they will be disappointed. I am eating some organic all natural yogurt and cottage cheese to try to stay away from the cokies. and speaking of your fav Indian food - I got some Spicy Hanover canned beans ( Indian and Cuban) they are really good. I use a lot of canned beans anyway to amp up the fiber and they are filling and good mixed with whole grains. Canned is easy and quick and portable.

Im working till Sunday and i have Prayer ministry Sunday evening. Then I'm off till Wednesday 11-7 MondayLunch with a GF and-. Plans with daughter and her BoyF and Rahael and fiance to look at lights , light snacks and presents . Since I'm off Christmas Eve we can all walk up the hill from my house to the Methodist church service. Not my church, but they have lovely services on Holidays and we don't have to drive anywhere. . That's abput it for us. It will be so different without adding Mom to our plans, but on the other hand, nothing to worry over as it alwys was something with her. I want to facetime my sisters anyway since we are all spread apart.

I hope you are getting some downtime with school break to relax and do something just for YOU!. raise a glass or 2.Santa won't tell.

ps, I stayed out of the "cookie break room" the rest of the week-end! I did eat some cookies but not neatly as many as i would have. I feel virtuous. I felt you looking over my shoulder.

Major fail in the healthy eating department for me this week. I completely lost control at work and ate LOTS of cookies EVERY day. By Friday I even felt physically bad from all the sugar but I kept eating them anyway. This weekend I have been eating well and I exercised both days. I'm trying to clean myself back out before Wednesday, when I know I will eat more bad stuff, though probably only for the day. Then I'll have a few days to be good again before I go to my mom's, Jan 1-5, where there will again be lots of bad stuff. I don't know why I crave sweets so much, sigh. I hope you did a better job than I did and stayed out of the break room for the rest of the weekend!

Your walks at the mall sound nice! I haven't had a walk lately but I did some nice cardio videos yesterday and today. Low impact stuff, just 20 minutes, and then some stretching. It sounds like Rachael enjoys seeing Santa, even from a distance!

I'll be delivering my cheeses tomorrow. I think I've got a good selection! I hope they like them!

We went to our Indian place last night and it was yummy! I was partly good and had no bread or dessert, but I did have 2 drinks. The spicy beans sound good! I have not seen those. I buy a lot of canned beans too. I'll look for those next time!

I am glad you get a couple of days off and I hope you really enjoy them! It is good of you to work Christmas since there will surely be no shortage of sick people needing your services! I know it will be sad not to have your mom here for the first time, but also a relief. I know how that double-edged sword goes. I'm glad you will see your daughters and I hope you have a very lovely time!!

I was good about not going into the cookie filled room - but I ate plenty anyway - just not all at once. I hate that "sick" feeling, though Ive certainly done that too. One of the docs' husband brings in tubs of the tiny cookies that are thin and crispy; and I just eat too many. but, christmas was OK , nothing special. We went to my daughter's house and ate some finger food and opened gifts and that was about it. They both had a cold so we didn't stay long. I mpst enjoyed the canflelight service at the church up the hill from my house. Then I worked. New Years was the same blah and then work. This is the last week of the extra shift per week - and i must say I;'m ready for that little break.

Now, back to full scedule. A friend from church needs ris=des to the doctor along with piano lessons, Rachael's care giving and routine eveyrthing else. I did get closets organized on one of the holiday days off and I feel good about that. Still one car in the shop and hope to get it back soon since it is a lot of coming and going next week.

Meals this week have been OK and exercise good. I read a research article that says the new recommendations for osteopenia are to include some high impact exerise ; before it was not advised. so I did a 40 minute High intensity tabata routine twice this week ( pop sugar online) and I am actually a little sore from that. It was harder than my normal circuit, but if it helps I'll try to keep it up.

I hope your visit goes well and that you have some fun and relaxing moments with your Mom. The weather is warmer than usual and that makes traveling easier in our area anyway. I pray safe journey for you and an easy start to the work week. Happy 2020!

Hello! I had a wonderful visit at my mom's. We made cookies and a buche de Noel, played lots of games, and just enjoyed the company.

I gained 11 pounds between October and the first week of January. I have dropped 2 this week from just eating normally instead of cramming myself full of cookies. I feel I can take off a few more but not sure how to lose the rest. My shoulder is even worse and my exercise is so low intensity because of my limitations. I saw my regular doctor, actually a PA, and she ordered an MRI for me which was supposed to be yesterday. The imaging place called me Thurs to reschedule because my insurance has not authorized it yet, and is requesting more clinical info from my doctor. It seems like they are trying to deny it, and I'm so upset. I felt like I was about to take the first step toward maybe finding out what is wrong with my shoulder and maybe getting myself healed so I can exercise like I used to and want to, and I'm blocked before I can even take that first step.

I feel like I can keep my eating better under control now that the holidays are over. I have eaten well this week, but I am so discouraged by the mountains of junk at work. All week there was junk already. Leftover holiday junk from people's homes in the kitchen, monthly birthday potluck junk was Friday, brownies for a birthday on my team last Tuesday, one of my team putting leftover candy right in our office where I see it all day. It's so hard for me to maintain my intentions when I am surrounded by people who don't care about their health. So, I am starting out the new year really wanting to regain my health and feeling like I have roadblocks at every turn already :(

I hope you got your other car back! It's hard to function without enough vehicles. It sounds like your eating and exercise are going well! I have done some low impact cardio on pop sugar. I like that site. I've found a lot of sites that I like online. It's nice to have those resources out there!

We got our chimney and fireplace insert repaired this fall and I've been lighting fires on the weekends because it's such a nice feeling warmth but since it's going to be in the 60s today I guess I don't need one!

I hope your week has gone well, and thank you for being here to listen to my frustrations!

Hello, I was on a better track this week, despite getting a formal denial letter for my MRI. My doctor is "checking into it" but I am not optimistic. I slept pretty well several nights this week, which helps me get up and do my short cardio routine before going out to the goats. I did that twice, had my 2 regular morning Y visits (once with trainer and one swim), my yoga night, plus two bonus afternoon visits to the Y for 30 min of cardio. In the winter I do usually try to go to the Y on Friday afternoons for the cardio in place of walks at the park since it's dark. I got an extra visit on Thursday when my PT appt was cancelled. I also ate well and had none of the junk at school (of which there was still plenty this week like a giant tin of cookies, leftover cupcakes from the spelling bee, mini cinnamon buns, and mini donuts). I had no alcohol during the week, though plenty on the weekends. All of my exercise is still so low intensity due to my shoulder and other limitations, so I'm not seeing any weight loss, but at least I am enjoying most of it.

My buche de Noel recipe is from my high school French teacher, a ditto copy with that old purple ink. I kept it all these years because it was easy to make and so tasty! My sister who took some cake decorating classes made holly leaves and berries to decorate it, so it was also beautful!

I am really missing the mountains, and since it is a 3 day weekend for me, I am hoping to go out there tomorrow and do a little hiking. On Monday I am going to the dentist in the morning, something I truly hate, but once I get over that trauma I may go to one of the local parks for a walk. Today I plan to make a cheddar using milk I had frozen in October.

I have never had a shingles vaccine. Sorry to hear that it made you sick! I hope it protects you well after that! It sounds like you are doing a great job with bringing good food to work and avoiding the cookies! I am glad you are feeling better and got your exercise in too! I hope this week has been good for you too! Thank you for your encouraging words! It really helps!

Well, it looks to me like your exercise is going very well with the limitations you have. Something every day or nearly every day is a lot better than most people manage to do. Low impact may be best for you to avoid injury. I'm shaking my head over denying the MRI - WHAT IS WRONG WITH U..S HEALTHCARE? That is jusy crazy. The irony is if you didn't have insurance at all and just claimed poverty, you can get prime care and it is just written off. We see thousands of dollars wasted at the hospitals every day. Doesn't make sense. I guess all you can do is self care with whatever you can do without too much pain.

Extra kudos to you for staying away from the work goodies. I've done OK with that this week too and meals fairly good. I brought stuff for my power bowl and after that I am really full. I am still having wine every night and I deided to try a new tactic. I will determine to take a small step an cut out wine for one night. I'm still not drinking a lot at once, but I want to eliminate one day just so I know I can. I always need a reminder or reward or something to keep track - so - Im going to be cheesy and silly and chiildish and put a STICKER on my wall calenday the day I abstain so I can see once a week clearly. I believe it will help me just to see it.

I hope you did get your mountain walk, but if it is raining there too, you might not have.It's cold and dreary so i'm just as happy to be at work. Monday I am fixing and delivering the homeless shelter meal. Thankfully, it isn't until 6 in the evening and someone else is driving and i hope the mess around downtown with the rallies and state of emergency will be over by then. All the hospitals will be on alert with the busloads of gun folks coming in from out of state. I don't get that either.

I hope you have a rrlaxing day off whatever you do. I imagine the cheese making is kind of zen for you. I know it will turn out Perfect!