January Jewel

[Lizann]

Hey guys. Same as Pauly, not much more to add to what's already been said.

Cyn glad you are back home. Traveling is exhausting but it is nice to be away for a bit too.

Lav, clutter follows my hubby everywhere! I am no near freak either but I like things in there place. I get cranky too! I give him a time limit to put things away, or I'll do it, which he hates!

Latest forecast is 2 inches of snow, which shouldn't cause a lot of problems driving. Two years ago I attended a baby shower two hours away from here. The ride down was fine. It started snowing during the shower and accumulated quickly. We ended up leaving early because of the weather. It took us four hours to get home! I figure I drove in that, I can drive the 10miles to work!

Wishing you all a quiet restful night!

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

We had a few flurries just before dinner but nothing else since. A few inches coming overnight, no big deal, ha ha!

Star, one day at a time for your son I guess. And no, you don't need to take responsibility for his problems. We can be supportive from a safe, detached distance, right?
Staying calm is the absolute best thing to do not only for him but for you as well.

Cyn, welcome home! Nice to come home to the warm lights of the Christmas tree.
Are you awaiting snow tonight too?

Pauly, I went to get my hair cut today & thought of you
Did your older lady come looking for her $100 yet? Geez, poor thing!

Liz, two inches of snow should be a breeze but be safe.
I can remember a few blizzards where I had to get the PD to drive me to work because the roads were closed to ordinary citizens, ha ha! It was no problem though since my husband worked for the PD back then so he just got me a ride.

I made a new vegan mozzarella cheese today that turned out great!!! Even YB liked it (I had to take it away from him) LOL
It was simple & quick to make too, yay!

Dill, thinking about you with much love :hug:

Wishing everyone a peaceful & warm night.
Lav

[treegirl]

Evening all -

Long day of work here at home, as I'll be working at a client's house all weekend. Sheesh, did the house need cleaning. I guess with all the holiday stuff around, and dinners and packing and all, things just built up. I did take the tree ornaments and lights down - we have a dinner to give on Saturday, and I think it might look a little odd at this point. Plus, I just need more physical space right now. I did leave lights up on the mantle - they are out of the way so they can stay all the way through January!

Hey, did anyone else notice that it was still light out around 5 PM? I was so happy to see the pink clouds still there.

Dill - I am sending love and light your way, what a hard time your kids have had. I was thinking of your daughter today - how is she doing? Good luck with all, I'm sure having the grandkids there is a stressor. Try to find some 'me' time, OK?

Star, you seem strong and clear on the need to detach while still giving guidance; what a balancing act, good luck.

Pauly, how are you feeling these days? Level? Searching?

Liz - sounds like January is a busy month for you , be careful in our snow tomorrow!

Lav - recipe please - that 'cheese' sounds amazing! I look forward to cooking my own food again, and making heaps of winter veggies - I carmelized/roasted Brussels sprouts tonight, yum. Feeling like some Thai soup tomorrow.

Must drop into bed now - tomorrow will be a long one for me. Wishing all well for a great AF Friday...

[Snoopy56]

Good morning...

Up early, working on being positive, things not too good here, but moving along. Have a good one.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends,Star,I'm working on being positive too but sometimes I just feel like a creep I can't stand negative people yet I get into the loop too sometimes, how's your son dealing? Bought a new vitamin and for some reason it makes me tired so of course I googled and I guess sometimes vitamins have inferior ingredients and it takes a lot of work for us the break them down,I'm surprised cuz its those "Alive" ones,also they make my stomach gurgle and more bathroom trips,I wanna find a multi with no calcium but that's hard,anyways,Cyn,glad you're getting the house settled,I kept lights on a fake ficas tree in the corner, also Kells bf bought me a sconce with candles for Christmas so I light that bad boy up and some regular candles,also a Himalayan salt lamp and I have my glowing,peaceful,area Dill,hope everything is OK,Lav,how are the grandkids? I'm so used to you talking about them everyday it feels weird these past few months, is your daughter healed back to 100%? Liz,you be careful in that snow but also take the time to enjoy it falling from the sky for me,I always used to find falling snow so peaceful and beautiful...until I had to leave the house! Wishing us all a nice AF Friday

[paulywogg]

I forgot to say that I've lost 2 of the 10 lbs I want to lose by adding nut butters and a daily cup of whole milk,keeps me too full to graze

[dill]

Hello All, trying to stay positive here as well.

Liz, my son is a single parent. Divorced. He was in treatment for addiction to pain meds which spiraled out of control. He had been clean for 3 years but has recently relapsed. He told us he needs to re-enter in patient treatment. Hence, the grandchildren are here with us until he gets back in control. He has sole custody of the children and it has not been easy for him.

Pauly, congrats on the 2 lbs! I have lost more than I planned on but I don't recommend this diet to anyone: stress!

Star, sending thoughts and prayers your way.

Lav and Cyn, greetings and thank you for the love and light~

[Lavande]

Greetings friends,

Last night's snow storm was nothing much more than a heavy covering. There was absolutely no reason for the schools to open two hours late but that's what they did!
Supposed to get a little more snow tomorrow, we shall see.

Star, hope your day improved :hug:

Dill, I totally get the stress & weight loss thing...ben there a few times myself.
Have you managed to get the kids into your local school yet? I hope everything settles down real soon for you.

Pauly, I haven't seen my grandkids since Christmas.
I am in constant touch with my daughter via text message so I know they are OK. My son I rarely hear anything from him, he's always been like that. My DIL apparently still has her head up her a$$ - who knows?
Good job on the 2 lbs
Try this multi : http://www.swansonvitamins.com/natur...erals-100-tabs

Cyn, I know my chickens are liking the extra bit of daylight, ha ha! I always go out to close up their house before it gets totally dark.
You still sound awfully busy, take care of yourself!
Here's the mozzarella recipe - easy & quick

http://annabanana.co/?s=mozzarella+cheese

I had to order the kappa carrageenan on Amazon (no where to buy that around here) but everything else I already had on hand.

The recipe du jour today was:
Creamy kale & gnocchi soup (recipe found on godairyfree.org) I used broccoli instead of kale because that's what I had here - very good!

Hello to Liz, hope you had a good day!

We have a 9 am appointment at the bank tomorrow for a refi. Such exciting times, ha ha!
Wishing everyone a comfy & peaceful night.

Thinking of those lost & injured in Fort Lauderdale today, so sad.

Lav

[treegirl]

Nite nite all - so sorry for these late messages, but it's been a whirlwind. Worked at a client's today, then did major grocery shopping - nothing was in the house, plus we have company tomorrow. Since I'm working all day, it will be a crock-pot dinner -- Star, your sausage/zucchini stew is on the menu!

Star, I hope that the day got better, I'm sorry to hear things are not too smooth.

Dill, I'm sorry for the stress weight loss, that's tough. You and mr.dill and the kids and your son are truly in my prayers each day. Good luck.

Pauly, I love the sound of your comforting light setup -- good for you!

Liz, glad to hear that you made it to work and back today. I love this fresh snow, it gives everything a boost for me! I don't mind the cold, if it's bright and sunny.

Wishing all a good strong AF Saturday. I'll be doing another late checkin, so please know that I'm thinking of you all.

[Snoopy56]

Good morning...

Great to see all the posts, certainly important to keep on posting in these challenging times. It has been so stressful here, we are all having a hard time sleeping. My son is still staying with us, he is not doing well, but is not getting worse. One of the things he probably was terminated for is he has been having health issues that are not being fixed. He feels ongoing brain fog, memory issues, dizziness, pressure behind his ears and in his head, sinus problems, thus the MRI that did not find anything, both bad and good. Been to a primary doctor and a ENT who also were useless. Now, his insurance will be gone after this month and we are not sure what is going to happen. He has an appointment with a nurse practitioner on Friday who thinks he may have some inner ear thing, that I bet is true, so we will see. So, his lease is going to be renewed for five months, give us some time to figure things out and give him space. He is not in a good place and it is hard to take. This weekend will be challenging, but being AF I am calmer, making good plans, and staying positive. Work is a wonderful thing! The Universe has sent me lessons to learn for sure.

Dill, my heart goes out to you. If you are losing weight, it is intense for sure. The hard thing for me this last week is to have no privacy. No time to talk to my husband, much. We are both doing the best we can. Praying for your too, pm me if you want to. Here for you.

Lav, you are a cooking machine, that sounds great. I have to prepare a bunch of meals this week, so mushroom soup tonight! Will be working on that.

Pauly, love your light area. I just read a book that talked about someone having a meditation room, filled with art work of beautiful stones and crystals on the walls, that sounds so soothing to me.

Cyn, thanks for the support, glad you are using that recipe, I will look it up again too! It is brutally cold here, below zero and that is hard on me, but very little snow, a true blessing as they don't plow well here. It is very difficult at my house right now, but choosing to be caring and calm, for the most part.

Lizann, be careful on the roads, other drivers can be so careless, I have witnessed cars almost hitting each other due to dumb choices. Geez.

Today I have to clean, do laundry, grocery shop and cook, cook, cook. I also want to attend a yoga class so we will see if I can fit it all in. Have a good AF Saturday.

[dill]

Hello friends,

Star, I totally get the lack of privacy you are experiencing. It is the same here. Mr. D and I have no way to just have a simple conversation without being overheard. It doesn't help that it is so blasted cold outside either! We can't even step outdoors to have a private word unless we want to freeze! I'm so sorry your son is having such struggles and that the whole family is being involved. Good for you choosing to be calm and caring as a coping strategy. I continue to pray for you and your son.

Lav, yes the children are enrolled in the local school and both seem to like it so far. I was nervous about that. The granddaughter is disappointed tho bc the new school is only 1/2 day kindergarten. Her old school was full day and she loves school.

Pauly, Cyn and Liz, thinking of you all. But I'm short on posting time.

Here is a beautiful rendition of The Lord's Prayer. My sister in law sent it to me in an email forward. It lifted my spirits and brought a moment's peace. Perhaps you will enjoy it too.

El Padrenuestro por los fallecidos en la tragedia de Galicia y todos sus familiares y amigos. - gloria.tv

Let's all enjoy an AF Saturday!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Star,I can relate to a lot of your sons symptoms, Dr.Google suggests food allergies, inner ear infection, Lyme disease but real Doctors find Nada,is he on any medications that can cause side effects? It would be hard to try and maintain a job feeling like that, my hours are short so I get in and get out,Dill,that's so cute your granddaughter likes school so much I hope Louie does when he starts next year,Lav,I'm taking the chewable culturelle(cheaper than the capsules) seems to make my stomach worse so I checked it out and it has xylitol in it which is known to cause bloating and gas,now why on earth would they add such an ingredient to something that's supposed to help,so dumb,Liz,you're quiet,,what's up? Cyn,how many guests are you having? I never did get around to making the zucchini and sausage soup,hope you have a nice dinner,wishing us all a calm AF Saturday

[treegirl]

Sending support, support, support to all, especially Dill and Star. My goodness what a turnaround in your lives -- so much to cope with.

Star, is your son open to changing his diet? So much sinus/brain fog is diet -related (and microbiome related - the 'second brain'. I will say that Mr. Tree had a really good experience with acupuncture to heal his sinuses in early a December... he has done all of this travel without a problem.

Dill, what a sweetie your granddaughter is... it must be very hard to suddenly have elementary school kids all over again... I can't imagine! It sounds like the kids are coping OK, they can be so resilient sometimes.

Lav, what an interesting site witherspoon the mozzarella, I hope to try it.

Pauly, I meant to say congrats for the weight stuff! Nut butters are great!

Liz, I hope you got around OK in the show today. I had a very slippery time getting home from my job today.

After making all the preparations for dinner, I feared the weather would get in the way,,which happened. They tried, but didn't feel that it was safe to continue, so with everything all ready to serve, we cancelled. Frankly I'm glad, I can hardly stay awake at the moment, I wouldn't have been a very good hostess!

Wishing all safe and sound and warm tonight.

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

It's a chilly 16 degrees here right now which is making this little bit of snow quite icy.
We got out early this morning to get the refi on the home loan done which was good.

Star, at the very least get your son to agree to eliminate dairy from his diet. It could make a big difference for him.
When times get tough (and they always do) we need to remember these things are just temporary. Staying calm & positive may be hard but it's the best thing we can do for ourselves & those around us. Hang in there & keep taking good care of yourself :hug:

Dill, I'm glad to hear the kids are settled in school. My granddaughter loves K too. I think girls are a little more mature than the boys & ready for the challenge. Maybe you & Mr D should plan mid-morning coffee breaks/talk time for yourselves. It's hard having ears always listening in to your conversations.

Cyn, I saw pictures of a big 20 car+ pile up on a snowy road up your way. Maybe it's just as well your guests stayed home.
Take the time for yourself & enjoy. We have just about finished that mozzarella cheese, I'll probably make another tomorrow.

Pauly, I can't tolerate xylitol in any amount either, yuck.
You can get 200 days worth of Trunature probiotic, the one I use on Amazon for $34 or less if you have a prime membership
Amazon.com: Trunature Digestive Probiotic, 1 Billion Active Cultures, 1 Capsules (Pack of 2): Health & Personal Care

Liz, hope you are staying warm

Have a peaceful night everyone!
Lav

[Lizann]

Good evening all. Kinda late already, I know, but we just got in from clearing the snow! Thankfully, snowblower is working again and I just did the stairs while hubby did the rest.
I'm tired but it's a good tired. Ran a bunch of errands earlier and the roads were very slick. Hubby, son and I all had problems driving today. Thankfully we are safe and sound.

Star, I recall having the brain fog /dizzy thing a few years ago as well. I began drinking nettle tea with Swedish bitters that my mom made for me. It took a few weeks, but I felt heaps better. I do believe it was all sinus related! I understand how difficult it is to carry on with life when you feel like that.

Cyn, what will you do with your dinner? Can you freeze it for another day. The roads really are bad out.

Dill, how many grandchildren are with you and may I ask how old they are? I would imagine that is difficult to have them full time. I know I have become set in my ways and I can't imagine having little ones to care for all the time. It is very possible that hubby and I will be watching our grandbaby as my daughter will be going back to work after the birth.

Pauly, good for you for losing the weight. I have found eating cucumbers with hummus to be very filling and not a lot of calories. It's a great between meal snack!

Lav, I love hearing about your recipes! Hope all is well by you and you didn't get too much snow. I kind of think you probably got more than us.

Wishing you all a good night!