Natural November

[paulywogg]

Happy Thanksgiving friends, its 6 am and I just threw a pie in the oven,after its done I'll toss in the bird,cross my fingers and even if its dry,I'll have extra gravy as Dill suggested boiled potatoes last night,hubs did the onions and celery chopping with Louie so it'll be easy today,have a blessed day,Lav,Dill,Star,and Cyn,I love being part of this group of lovely women

[dill]

Late check in as I hit the ground running, as did you all. Having the grandchildren here threw a real kink in my preparations, but I overcame it. Had to skip posting tho.

Lovely weather today so after the meal we all went outside for a walk and some target practice with Mr. D's new rifle. Well, actually, I don't enjoy shooting, so I just watched and kept an eye on granddaughter. But what a blessing to have such warm weather on Thanksgiving! The rifle was just a 22, whatever that means. But it is ia basic rifle that is really a must if you live rurally as we do.

Yes, tryptophan was the third ingredient in Alteril, thank you!

I was pleased with the roaster's performance. The turkey was really good and moist done that way. I hope you all had some similar success. I did make extra gravy but we used it on the mashed potatoes.

I too am thankful for the friendship on this thread. You are all blessings in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Great Thanksgiving Day, everything cooked came out great! The weather was warm here too, Dill, and we were able to go for a walk afterwards.

Lav, lucky you with a clean-up crew!

Pauly, sounds like a great start to your day. Bet it was busy.

Cyn, bet you had a great day too.

It is supposed to start raining at some point, so I will clean later today after most leave, and then maybe to the mall for something to do! It is nice to walk around in there and good for me to get. It's only Friday, so I will enjoy a few more days off. Have a good one all.

[Lavande]

Good Black Friday morning friends

Had a great day yesterday. Everyone left happy & full except for EB. He decided to stay overnight & was passed out in a turkey coma by 9 pm, ha ha! Tomorrow is his 7th birthday!! He is the reason I finally got serious about quitting for good. He is my hero

I am actually heading out to Curves now & working later.
Dill, Star, pauly & Cyn, wishing you all a wonderful AF Friday! Grateful for my good friends here :hug:

Lav

[paulywogg]

Hello friends, sounds like everyone had a nice Thanksgiving my turkey turned out superb,each slice stayed a slice instead of shredding apart like past turkeys,everyone hated the razzleberry pie from Marie callenders,including me,too tart!and it had seeds from the raspberry, not my cup of tea but I'll probably eat some later so it won't all end up in the trash,feel blah this morning, think its cuz its the kick-off to Christmas and I am just not ready hope everyone has a peaceful Friday

[dill]

Hello friends, I am still enjoying the post holiday peace and quiet here.

Pauly, I have been feeling blah this week but today feel myself finally coming out of it. I hope your "blahs" don't last long. I hear you in not being ready to take on the Christmas season. I feel that way too.

Lav, EB is seven! My how the years fly by! I hope he had a good birthday. I'm sure he did, spending it with his number one fan! I managed to make my own rolls from scratch yesterday after all. I let the bread machine mix the dough for me so it was a snap. Nothing better than home made bread rolls.

Star, did you get to the mall? It rained her this afternoon too so I decided to do the same thing as you. I went to the mall and walked around. I did just a bit of Christmas shopping too. I seriously need to sit down and make a plan: who do I need to buy for and some ideas for gifts. I'm really not ready to face it all yet! :happy2:

Hello Cyn, hope all is well in your world and that your Thanksgiving was good.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Black Friday was a stay at home day for me. My son left early as he is so anxious and not quite acting right. It was better he left. We are OK, I hope he is. He still has some issues to work out, the next few months are not going to be easy. After he left, my house was a mess. I did 8 loads of laundy, cleaned most of the house, make turkey soup and had to go get carrots and celery. Then, I read in the afternoon in my clean house. So, today, I want to put up my tree, rearrange some furniture, and see what Christmas decorations I have, I may have to get more.

Dill, due to the above, I have not been to the Mall. It is five minutes from my house though, so I can go anytime. I may today, we'll see. My husband has to work 9-9, so I will be on my own. After all the company, I am content with that. I realized I am really an introvert. Having so many people at my house for over two days and I was exhausted and ached. Now, as you said, it is peaceful and did I mention, clean? I loved having the chaos, mess, good food, etc., but I realize I am used to it being quiet, neat, and in order. I have no idea what to get anyone at this point. This is why I struggle at Christmas. Checks are always good, with a little gift. We'll see.

Lav, lucky you, having your grandson spend the night. I think it is so lovely that you went AF in large part to have an honest and loving relationship with him. I feel the same way, I would not want to be buzzed, drunk, etc., in front of my grandson. I want to be loving, laughing, and trustworthy. I want him to feel secure with me, and he does. I know your grandkids do too. Glad things went well for you.

Pauly, yay, your turkey was good!!!! Mine was perfect, too. I gave a bunch away, still have enough for two and several sandwiches. Then, it gets old and yucky. My daughter bought pies and they are so GOOD! From the bakery section at the grocery store. My goodness, we enjoyed them, and had a piece last night. I love leftovers.

Cyn, bet your are busy. Hope to hear from you soon.

Have a great Saturday.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

Today is EB's birthday Dill
He's coming over for spaghetti & meatballs with his mother & brother tonight & cake of course! My son is working today so I'll have to send some leftovers home for him.
I am starting to feel a touch of anxiety related to Christmas! For me it's due to the increase in embroidery business which is a good thing but it leaves me little spare time to get my own holidays put together. It happens every year, you would think I would have adjusted. I actually had a series of nonsensical nightmares last night - geez!! I am going to tune up calming meditations before I go to bed tonight!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being an introvert Star. I think we all probably have a touch of it too but I really don't like spending too much time alone. It's always been a challenge keeping my thoughts in the positive zone, if you know what I mean. That is something I had to work hard on at the beginning of this journey. I hope your son sorts things out for himself & leaves the worries behind for the holidays.

Greetings Pauly & Cyn! Hope you are both well!

Here's where we went yesterday - shopping in cow country alongside the Amish & Mennonites, ha ha!!! EB picked out two birthday gifts from the toy department.

https://www.goodsstores.com/

The closest mall to us is in Delaware in the land of tax free shopping. It's a madhouse though:
Shopping Mall In Philadelphia | Christiana Mall | Christiana Mall

Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Hello all!

Sorry to miss posting yesterday. Took care of family in the morning, and then got them packed up with food (all turned out fine) and both on their way out of town.

Star, how did you have the energy to clean the whole house? It sounds wonderful. (PS - have you read the book 'Quiet''? It completely explained myself to myself, and alleviated a lot of guilt about how I operate best in the world...)

Pauly - congrats on your turkey, and all the trimmings! It sounds like you had a banner day.

Lav - we are all incredibly indebted to EB, and to your promise to yourself to always be there for him. We are all the beneficiaries!

Dill - hope your spirits lift! You are probably quite tired - you have handled so much recently. Take care of yourself!

Maybe because of the continuing warm weather, I feel quite out-of-sync with the whole Christmas thing. Can't wrap my head around getting a tree or anything right now. We'll see how far into it we dive; SD requested us getting a tree here at our house. As most of you may remember, years ago I put my foot down about giving big gifts at the holidays. We give our 'gift' money to charities, and focus on stocking stuffers (that's a big deal in our family!) That can still be plenty of money to buy, but many little things are fun to open. I'm the original anti-capitalist! (Except I think that Lav should always have plenty of business for her beautiful things...)

Yesterday I was able to mulch leaves and place them on a big bed on the front of the house, then followed up with mulch from the pile that has to be used before it freezes solid. It looks so great! I'm happy and proud of myself. Just one more bed to go, and I'll be done. I have some other winterizing duties, but hopefully can just plug away at those before the weather turns.

Best to everybody!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, no leftovers left I knew Isshoulda made two turkeys,oh well,went to Denny's with hubs yesterday and brought a leftover pancake for Louie,after Kell dropped him off we were all settled with pancakes and Daniel Tiger when all of a sudden the power went out,some guy hit a pole just down the street, he wasn't hurt but it was a bad wreck,told hubs I couldn't sit in a quiet house so we went to GameStop and drove to the west side and went to world market,an awesome store but you gotta have patience and no 2 year old with you haha,I bought Lou some chocolate airplanes, a ninja turtle pez disspenser and an advent calendar, he'll probably just eat all the chocolate out anyways, then we stopped at a really good sandwich place,it was a good day but like Lav I have a titch of anxiety, damn I hate that,must get a grip,anyway off to work hope we all have a nice Saturday

[dill]

Hello AF friends, such lovely long posts to read. I really appreciate them. My granddaughter is back again today and is here overnight again, keeping me quite busy as usual, so my post will be on the fly while she is in the tub.

It sounds as if we are all starting the Christmas season on the anxious side. I'm glad to know I'm not alone, but I would prefer none of us were feeling that way. Lets all take time to breathe in, breathe out.

I have always been an introvert and I have always been keenly aware of that. But it is only recently that I have come to understand that my drinking may have been a coping mechanism for that introversion. I don't know why I never saw this before!

Cyn, yes I do remember when you made that decision regarding Christmas giving.
Pauly, That accident must have shaken you all up a bit. How long was the power out?
Lav, spaghetti is my gd favorite meal. I hope EB had a wonderful birthday.
Star, I will say a prayer for your son that he may find a job and feel more settled and less anxious.

We have to start thinking of a December name! Have a peaceful AF night.

[paulywogg]

Dill,it was only out for two hours,made sure to call our neighbor to make sure it was back on before we headed home,they still had the street blocked off today to repair the pole,justglad the guy wasn't hurt as he had hit it head on,witness says he was on the phone! Lav,I read on the daily thread that you didn't want to go to bed at 9:30 cuz then you'd be up too early, hmm,think I figured out my problem, I'm asleep by 9 pm,no wonder I'm up so early,grrr,let's see...Delightful December, Determined December, Delectable December,Drama-free December,the list goes on and on....I'm on a roll haha

[Lavande]

Pauly, I'm voting for DRAMA FREE DECEMBER ~ perfect

My sleep schedule is partly screwed up from a lifetime of working shift work. Just can't seem to get it unscrewed, ha ha! I generally wait & go to bed between 11 & 11:30. That works better for me at this point in life.

I put a picture of EB on Facebook with his Minecraft cake - the best I could do. He was very happy with it & I am glad

Cyn. & Dill, I'm not feeling the Christmas spirit yet either. I have to deal with a bunch of birthdays prior to & just after Christmas which adds to my anxiety level. I should be used to this & mentally tell myself to get over it, ha ha!!

Light rain here this evening, no big deal.
Peace to all tonight!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

I had a great day yesterday, watched cheesy Christmas movies on Hallmark channel, read a book, then put up the tree, went and purchased some new stuff, and it looks beautiful. I wanted to put a wreath on my fireplace and found the coolest thing: a standing wreath hanger. No need to put nails in the wall and it looks great. Today I will put up my nativity set and maybe think about some outdoor lights, not alot, just a little. I DO feel in the Christmas mood. I liked my idea of just giving a check and buying a few little things to open. I was able to really relax yesterday, and I needed it.

Lav, it would be hard to be extra busy at this time of year. As far as the introvert thing, it does not mean I don't need people, just that I need my alone time, not a huge social life, and time to myself. Sometimes, at work, I have all the interaction I need. We finally cooled off and it has rained off and on since Friday. That's OK with me.

Pauly, what a good plan with the electricity out. Your food must have been a hit with no left overs! Thanks for thinking of names for next month. I too vote for Drama Free December!

Cyn, you are such a hard worker. How is the weather in NE? Hope you had some time to relax too.

Dill, how great to have your granddaughter over for a few days. But busy, I know. Can you say more about drinking and introversion? It is interesting to me, sometimes I think we justify drinking, have it in the house, it becomes a habit and increases over time. I don't think anyone healthy drinks daily, except if they limit it to ONE glass with a meal or something. Otherwise, it makes you sick, depressed and fat. Or worse.

Hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

Dark, damp & coolish here in these parts, seasonal I suppose.
Slept quite a bit better last night, thank goodness.
Found this in my email this morning & thought I'd share:

DailyOM - Staying Conscious

Star, glad you had a good Saturday & accomplished so much.
I know it will be a while until I get all that done. My grumpy spouse is part of the reason I delay decorating. He's goes into a special grump mode this time of year, always has. I'm tired of trying to talk him out of it so I just ignore him, ha ha. It's not my fault that he has sh*tty childhood Christmas memories. He needs to let all that go, don't you think?

Dill, I love having one of the kids staying over. The distraction is good for me. Enjoy your girl weekend

Pauly, I made a big pot of turkey noodle soup & today I will be making turkey salad with whatever is left. As nice as it is to go to someone's home for Thanksgiving dinner I miss having the leftovers in my fridge. Glad you got thru your power outage OK, geez.

Cyn, I talked YB into getting on the tractor yesterday so the leaves are mulched & will be feeding the lawns all winter. Actually the grass was looking pretty bad too - still growing thru November due to the lingering warm weather. Global warming I guess!!

My grandson is having a small party at his house today. My granddaughter will be attending so that means I get to hang out with my daughter for a while - nice.
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Sunday!

Lav