phyllser

Please give us more info. There are many of us here who would like to try to help you. Hang in there. Wait until you go to the seminar and talk to the doctor before you make your decision. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHERI!!! Hope you have a great day and enjoyable time with your family!

Hmmm.....impressive. I don't think you really want to know what I ate yesterday.. though it wasn't all bad. Those abelskiver things for BF, with a little bit of scrambled egg and a couple turkey bacon strips. Oh, and I put some Lynchburg syrup on the abelskivers, and a little jam on one. Lunch was truck stop buffet! Had a little mashed taters, two chicken drumsticks, roasted, at leasnt not fried. Some peas and carrots, mac and cheese and salad. I had a bread pudding in front of me... took two very small bites and knew it would be stupid to eat any more. But, we didn't eat dinner because we both had bad headaches when we got home. I had some cheese, crackers and a little pheasant sausage that Jacki sent home with us. So, Earl got out the Wii this morning. Last time we weighed on it was 13 days ago. He was up 16 lb... yes, SIXTEEN lb in less than 2 weeks! He weighed 196 and his goal is 180, so he'll be swimming laps and starving himself and not getting weighed in tomorrow at TOPS! I was up 2.4 lb. So I have my work cut out for me, too! We're back on track this morning! All ready to go to water aerobics even though the stupid thermometer is still sitting on 49 degrees. At least the wind isn't blowing so, I can stand it!

Got "home" about 5 pm. Got a late start. Jacki wanted to make us these Scandinavian things... aebleskiver. Anyone know what I"m talking about?? They're kind of like round pancakes... about like doughnut holes. Very good.. hollow inside. Very tricky to make...have to have a special pan. And have to keep turning them with a knitting needle to get them round. Anyway, her granddaughter was throwing up all night long, so she didn't get up until 9 a.m. That's why we got a late start. Then we had to stop at Costco for gas and to look for something for our neighbor... she was taking care of the cat. I wanted to get her a bottle of Egg Nog... Costco has been selling it... already has the alcohol in it. But they were out of it. She also likes "Fuzzy Navels"... the wine coolers. They didn't have those either. So we have ot go somewhere else to get her something. We both had headaches all day long.. hope we're not getting what our friends' DGD had! Had more friendly conversation with DS #2 yesterday, and then his son called... the one that has been among the missing for the last two months or so. We had a really good talk. Remember when his mother called me.. several times, so drunk I could barely undrestand her?? well that's why he left. Said he can't take it anymore. And she & her parents (his other grandparents) are growing/selling "medical" mj now, so... unsavory characters hanging around and he wanted out. He was court ordered to live with his mother and judge would not listen to any of his allegations so he ran away. He turned 17 last week. He wants me to help him get emancipated, and he wants to enlist in the Marines. He's talked about that for as long as I can remember.. like 6 yrs old!! So I'm going to do a little research online and see what is involved. He is staying with his girlfriend's family and I talked to the dad for a while. He's wanting to help, too... even said he'd fly DS up there to sign papers if it was necessary. Will need parent's signature to get emancipated, I think, and definitely to enlist at 17, if that's even possible!

Hitting the road again soon after spending the night with our friends in Three Rivers. Too many snacks... but good stuff, not sweets, salmon spread, a little cheese, homemade salsa, guacamole... but too many margaritas, and a glass or two of wine! Wonder why I have a headache this morning and can't get anything down besides coffee! Later, Chicks! Uh, oh... I lied... just remembered... I had a small piece of pecan pie!!! OMG! I was so bad!

DS was at a friends' house using his computer. Kind of funny because when it was clear we weren't paying his motel bill he said he was homeless and under a bridge! We were chatting on FB live. So I said,"wifi under the bridge??" LOL Then I told him to call the church he used to go to. Response was, "why you bitch"! So then I was done. He tried to tell me it was a typo! Yeah, right! He accidently typed that word?? No! I think he accidently hit "enter"! That's when my maternal instinct went down the drain! Oh, yeah- that was right after he said we wouldn't "help" him because he's not our real son! That made me cry! I told him we put more time and effort (and money, I should have added) than all three of our bio kids put together, and we've NEVER treated him any different and have always bent over backwards to help him. But, we're retired now and we want to be DONE with that!

This thing with our son is really getting me down. Pass the fudge! LOL! Now he's putting notes on FB and doing his very best to play on my emotions, trying to make me feel guilty because I went w/DGD and got my nails done. "Hope you're all comfortable", enjoy getting your nails done, etc. Then begging us to help him, "the worse place I've ever been in". I just can't take anymore. Earl is annoyed and angry and won't let me answer any more phone calls. I would've given in by now and just played the d...... motel bill and get him off my back.

I had to quit answering the phone because he just keeps calling over and over... about 10 times this morning. He's trying to play on my sympathy and make me feel guilty. DH gets angry every time I answer... so I quit!

Good Morning! Someone HELP me! DS#2 keeps calling me... over & over & over. This has been going on since about the time of my birthday... over a month ago... and he wants $$$$. PLEASE, just pay for my motel bill tonight or else I have to sleep in a tent in the snow. Earl gets mad at me every time I answer the phone. Just pay for one more day, just pay for three days and then I'll be fine. So now it's just pay for tonight and then tomorrow I have a job. OMG.. I can't stand it anymore! He actually did sleep in a tent in a campground for a couple of nights. He's in OK. They had a big snowstorm this week. So... I feel terrible that he's in this situation, but... he's 37 yrs old... he won't take any of my suggestions... shelter, church you used to go to, etc. He was close to tears last phone call. So he's playing on my MAMA emotions and it is killing me! Change of subject: Gotta get that stuff off my mind! Our girls' night out while guys were at football bowl game in SF last night did not pan out as we'd planned. We did a little shopping and the went to dinner. But when me got to the movie.. first of all the parking lot was an absolute zoo and DIL couldn't find a place to park. So she dropped off DGD & me out front (pouring rain). So I wait in line to buy tickets and when I finally get to the window, cashier tells me that movie is not playing that night. Internet times were WRONG. DIL checked again when we got home and they were still wrong! And there were very few PG-13s and no other movie we wanted to see (we were going to see the one about the "Morgans"). So we decided to go back home and have our own movie night in our jammies. So we watched "All About Steve". It was over about the time the guys got home. This is our last day here before heading south again. Stopping at friends' tomorrow night.. in Three Rivers! Jacki will be proud of me... she kept telling me I needed to go to the Good Will store in Los Altos. So DIL took me there yesterday and I found a pair of Waterford Crystal wine stoppers.... "Star of Erin", still in the box, brand new never used, msrp... $59.99, and I got them for $14.xx! I'm going to give them to her! LOL

Good Morning, Gang! This is our last day here with our son & family before we head south again. We've had a real nice visit. DIL took me to a couple of 2nd hand/consignment shops yesterday that a friend had told me about... my best "find", brand new still in the box Waterford Crystal wine stoppers... "Star of Erin", marked $59.99 that I got for $14.xx. Beautiful! I'm going to give them to that friend. She'll love them! And she'll love that I found such a great prize at the store she told me about! We were supposed to have a "girls' night out" last night... dinner and a movie. Dinner was fun, but when we got to the movie.. it was packed, took DIL forever to find a parking space, and when I got up to the ticket window to buy the tickets, movie we wanted to see... something about "The Morgans", cashier said they weren't showing it anymore that night! Internet times were wrong. We had 13 yr old DGD with us, so could only go to PG-13s and there were very few that weren't rated "R" and none that we wanted to see. So we came home, put on our jammies and watched "All About Steve"! It was hilarious. Guys came home from football game just as it was finishing up. They were cold and wet. Very rainy afternoon in SF!! DS#2 is going to drive me crazy with incessant phone calls for the last month beggin for money! Says if we don't pay for his motel bill tonight he & his girlfriend will be sleeping in a tent in the snow tonight! UGH!

Glad you had a good Christmas. I LOVE my Wii Fit! You will enjoy that. Definitely get your doc to call that Rx in to your pharmacy prior to surgery if possible! So sorry about your accident! Glad you are okay! Hope you guys don't have too many aches and pains today! Christmas of 1950 we were in an accident on our way to Christmas Eve service! It wasn't real bad... cars moved a lot slower in those days. We were just one block from the church. That was back in the day when all the churches did their Christmas Eve candlelight services at midnight! It was a cold snowy night in Buffalo! And, my Mom blames the accident for causing her premature labor three days later. Sister, Barb was born a week or two early on the 28th! Just a little "Phyl" trivia!! LOL Hi, Texas Rose! I think you can change your password from the "UserCP" page. Look at the top left of your page for that link. And I think you can start a thread from there, too. Yes, Cheri... very good insight! Sad story about your friend, Charlene! I think your New Year's resolution is a wise one! We don't need those kinds of people in our lives! Too bad, too sad!

So many travel woes around the country this Christmas!! We have good friends (in their 70's and one diabetic) who spent the night in SW airlines reservation center after getting stuck in the snow in their driveway... Oklahoma City.. They were trying to rescue their SIL & 2 grandkids from the airport. They all ended up stranded until Christmas morning. We lived in OK for over 18 years total, 16 of them quite recently as we just moved back to WA a couple of years ago. OKC hasn't had that much snow (14"), in 85 years!! Hope your daughter makes it home soon!! Quiet morning here. Two granddaughters left to go shopping before 6 a.m. I did not personally witness this amazing feat, two teenagers up before dawn, but Earl was up and he testifies to the fact that they did indeed go out the door before 6 a.m. as they said they would. They are hitting 3 malls this morning and vowed to get to one early enough to collect $20 gift certificates promised to the first 500 or 100 or something like that! Earl and I have had our coffee and leftover quiche, but DS, DIL and DGS still have not emerged from their rooms. The cat is quite funny. DIL usually is up a little before 8 a.m. So, when she was about 15 minutes late, the cat was loudly protesting outside their bedroom door. I sent Earl upstairs because he sounded so frantic I was sure he was locked in to a room somewhere, but... no... he was yelling at Kellie that it was time to get up. Then he smelled the quiche that Earl was warming in the micro, so he came downstairs and he left them alone for a while. But he is up there yelling at the door again now!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas Day! Sure is nice to be with family this year! Went to exercise room with DGD this afternoon... 30 minutes on recumbent bike, 2 min on eliptical. That sort of freaked me out. Never been on one before and it was a little scary. Then I walked back to the house because DGD said she was going to work out for 2 hrs, so about 45 minutes of exercise. Sounds impressive, but according to the bike, I didn't even burn 150 calories!! UGH! Turkey in the oven.. Earl made quiche this morning and it was delicious, but then I was sort of "stuck" for quite a few hours! Must have been the Bisquick, I guess. Then this afternoon... 2 stuffed mushrooms, 3 pigs in a blanket. I had a cookie this morning, and a bite of fudge and 2 bites of lemon bar! That's all my food so far today! Not too bad. But.. dinner yet to come... turkey, stuffing, taters, gravy, veggies, pie!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!! Having a great day at our son's in SF area. Beautiful day. Went to work out with DGD this afternoon... recumbent bike, eliptical, and then walked home because she was staying 2 hrs. Turkey in the oven.. we're having dinner in an hour or so. Quiche this morning, a couple of stuffed mushrooms and pigs in the blanket this afternoon. A little tight today... being very careful! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

Great idea, Roxie! Anything to get our mind off the food we're being bombarded with! Oh, my! I had an oatmeal/raisin cookie this morning... breakfast?? No, that was after my omelet! Had a little piece of peanut butter fudge this afternoon. DIL has everything cut in to little tiny pieces and slices, so that's a GOOD thing! Well, we saw this movie a few weeks ago, but I highly recommend "The Blind Side"! One of the best movies we've seen in a long time. I'm very much wanting to see "It's Complicated"! DIL & DGD & I.. maybe 2 DGDs, going to a movie on Saturday while the guys go to a football game, but we have to see no more than PG-13, so we're thinking that movie about "the Morgans".... don't remember the whole title, but you know the one I mean. I do like to hear what other people have to say about movies before I go see them, so looking forward to reading your "reviews". Do the best you can, Karen! This time of year is HARD! Usually we stay at our RV at the park we stay in during the winter... so we have no goodies around unless we go to a party or potluck. But this year, since we're at our son's, there are goodies around to tempt me! We went out to lunch with BIL & SIL & DS & DIL today. We've eaten at this place several times before, but today was awful. Dishes were dirty, trays were dirty, food choices were not good... hard to find any meat in anything, some foods had obviously been sitting a long time. So... didn't eat a lot of bad stuff there! MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!

Just time for a quick post. We need to get out of here...Going to Earl's brother's to have coffee and chat and then out to lunch. Chris & Kellie will meet us all for lunch. You're right... I used to eat just like Earl. He had Cookies before his Breakfast this morning! The kitchen has plates of cookies and candy EVERYWHERE!! I had one oatmeal/raisin this morning, but 2 sm pieces of fudge last night. I just can't go in there and look at it! I will have to be very careful this weekend! Yes, it was a great encounter in Starbucks yesterday! The two of us just instantly clicked... and I'm old enough to be her mom, but we just chatted and chatted the whole time we were in line and then waiting for our drinks. I'm kind of sorry we didn't exchange contact info now because we had such a great visit. I'm convinced the Lord just arranges things like that.. sort of divine encounters. Sister Mary Lou & family coming over this afternoon for Snacks, etc and then we're all going to Christmas Eve candlelight service. Her son can't come... ped. neuro resident and he's on call all weekend and can't get more than 30 minute drive from the hospital (SF). Later, Gals.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Great day. Driving seemed to go by quickly, but first I read a People magazine and then I finished the book I've been reading... The Glass Castle.. Jeannette Walls. Very thought provoking, disturbing in many ways, but intriguing as well. About an extremely dysfunctional family. Read it for book club. Brought another one for the trip home since I've not yet been able to figure out how to download audio books to my new iPod. We left a little before 7 a.m. Stopped 1/2 hr later at Denney's for BF. Don't know where Earl puts it all. He ordered a 3 egg omelet w/hashbrowns and wheat toast. He also ate 1/2 of my 2 egg Sr. omelet and 3/4 of my english muffin. He no sooner got back in the car and he opened a bag of prezels. We stopped at a truck stop in the "grape vine" and he came out with a cup of coffee and a burrito... it was 10:30 a.m. Then we stopped in Gilroy at Panera Bread.. he had 1/2 sandwich and a bowl of Soup. Then we had dinner around 6:30 pm but in between he was eating Cookies and I think a bowl of cheetos. I went in Starbucks in Gilroy for a latte, SF, FF. Long line. Earl came in to see what he should order me for lunch. When he left gal in front of me said she didn't know how he could hear me with all the noise in there. So we talked about his hearing problem, and her father's etc., etc. By the time we got to the cash register, we were best friends. So when she ordered her two drinks, the cashier asked her "are you two together?" because she'd seen us talking and talking. So the gal says, "Yes, we are" and then she turns to me and asks me what I want to drink and she paid for my drink! We continued to chat while we waited for our drinks and when we finally got them, she gave me a big goodbye hug! She'd been to Stanford to take her husband for a treatment for his MS and they were returning to Merced. That was an intersting story, too. He was dx'd with metastatic brain cancer and sent to an oncologist who then sent them to Stanford... who told him he has MS. She said they both started laughing and crying at the same time and the doctor was qutie puzzled at that kind of reaction to an MS diagnosis... but they explained that was a whole lot better than metastatic brain cancer!! Anyways, it was a pleasant interlude on a long travel day! We got here about 4pm. And now it's time to go to bed!

Good to see some action here. Glad everyone is doing well. We are in SF area visiting DS#1 and his family for Christmas. One of my sisters is also in the area with her family visiting one of her sons, and DH has a brother living here, too.. so we'll be getting with everyone tomorrow! Then chill the rest of the weekend. Girls may hit a movie on Saturday while the guys go to a football game. Too many sweets around here... NOT GOOD. Plates and plates of fudge, chocolate goodies, cookies, etc just a few steps away in the kitchen! It will be a challenging weekend foodwise!!

RV and the cat stay here. Just taking the car. Hope there are no problems in the grape vine tomorrow morning!! Leaving early.

Growing up, we always went to my paternal grandparents' house for a big family Christmas Eve get together. Don't even remember what we did... just all gathered there and then we'd go to Christmas Eve service at our church at midnight. That's the one thing we carried out with our kids, and still do.. go to Christmas Eve service.. used to be candlelight service, but these days, most churches don't do it due to fire dept. regulations! We'll be going to Christmas Eve service up in SF area with our son & his family and my sister and most of her family. One tradition that evolved as the kids were growing up is quiche on Christmas morning.. I know our oldest daughter has adopted that as one of their family traditions. I think we put more effort in to Christmas decorations since we're living in the RV for the past 5-6 yrs on Christmas! We won 2nd prize in the park for the RV division this year, and won 1st prize several years ago. Have to admit DH does it, with direction from me! He did a GREAT job this year. And our next door neighbors put 500 lights up the trunk of our palm tree!!

I was one of only 4 that showed up for Water aerobics this morning! I stuck it out for the whole hour and then went in the hot tub for 1/2 hr. Wind was cold and awful.. I wore my "water warm-up jacket" and it helped some. Earl was NOT one of those who showed up! He said he had "things" to do! Like pack the car! Huh??? I have a suitcase... already packed, he has one, already packed. I guess that took about 2 minutes to pick them up and carry them out to the car! He did one load of laundry... sheets, but really lame excuse for not going in the pool!! Then I went to beading... poinsettia bracelet today. But she had samples in several colors and I decided I liked the white one with crystals and pearls! The red/green is very pretty, and one lady did hers in ecru and olive green and gold and it was beautiful, too! Trying to upload a photo via FB/Blackberry, but not working so far. Camera battery is recharging so that's not an option at the moment. Janet.... Christmas program was great. Went very well. A real workout.. 40 minutes of singing and I was sweating! LOL! And my back hurt. We didn't stand the whole time... if you remember, last year we had no opportunity to sit at all and I came very close to passing out. Sorry you couldn't make it. Earl waited until about 5:45 pm before he left. I had to be there at 5pm for one last rehearsal. I should've called you.. You would've needed gate code to get in after 5pm! I forgot about that. Earl is completely obsessed about the weather tonight.. not because we're driving up to SF tomorrow, but because it's supposed to go down to 30 degrees tonight and that's not good for the new concrete! He's making me tell him what the temperateure is every hour on the hour! Sensor is outside on the concrete and he can't see the readout.. it's right opposite me. It's 53 now and an hour ago it was 57! He's afraid the low temp is going ot weaken the concrete and then when we leave and have to drive the RV over part of it, it's going to crack! Okay.. and... so what??? If it cracks, it cracks!! What are you going to do about it??? Cry?? Get over it! It's going to get cold for the next few nights and there is not a blessed thing you can do about it save go out and buy a bunch of electric blankets and lay them over the wet concrete!! Listening to the wind howling outside and watching replay of today's Glenn Beck show... a whole hour of Michael Buble!! My very favorite! He's great! I made the best chili ever yesterday.. a big crock pot of it and it's already gone!! Some neighbors who have been gone since about last March came back yesterday... they've been in Death Valley doing some photo shoots.. their business... so they had NO groceries. So they came over for some chili last night.

Concrete is being poured.. they were here before 7 a.m. And the weather is nasty. Wind blowing, raining, cold! And almost time to go to the pool. I may wimp out on water aerobics.. will be cold even with my swim jacket on! But will at least go in the hot tub. Then beading at 11 a.m. We're going to make a beautiful green and red poinsettia bracelet today. Extra cost for today.... $17, but worth it. But it looks complicated so hope I can finish it in one class! And hope they turn the heat on in that room BEFORE we get there!!!

Sorry about the rain! Our DD #1 is liking the warm temps in the NW, but I know she's hoping for a white Christmas, too, and that's just not going to happen! Now last year... when they had a flight out of Seattle the morning after Christmas to come down here for a few days, they had more snow than they knew what to do with and for a while it looked like they weren't going to get out! So happy to hear your girls are going to be there for a nice long visit! That's great! I am not looking forward to a LONG drive north on Wed., but it will be wonderful to spend Christmas with family this year. I am a little sad about missing the Christmas Eve service here and Christmas morning brunch, but that just doesn't measure up to being with family. And my sister and her whole clan will be in SF, too.. in fact, are already there, so think we're going to Christmas Eve services with them.. Her son who lives there can't go, tho... he's a ped. neuro. resident and is on call for the whole weekend so he has to be within 30 minutes of hospital. Sounds like maybe the cement prep guys are out there... Earl is talking to someone, and I heard a vehicle pull up. Taro cards... I look at it this way... God doesn't work with cards, so that kind of power has only one ohter source and it's NOT good! :ohmy::thumbup::mad:

Yeah, I like to harmonize.. I have a low voice. Another lady and I sing with the tenors. Kids made it to Montreal just fine. They're all warm and cozy with family now! YIKES! Taro cards!! Good decision not to let them in your house. That's scary stuff! Excited about the concrete being poured tomorow. It's going to look so nice!

Yeah, Montana is WIDE!! Wait until you drive across it!! You'll see!! I'm assuming daughter and family have proably landed in Montreal by now. Is the snow storm there??? I've been worrying about that! I am watching FB for a note saying they are THERE!!! What a struggle to get there! You can bet those kids are going to have passports real soon after they get back home!! They'll be up there for two weeks. They've never seen the sister's kids and I don't think they've seen SIL's sister and husband since their wedding which is probably close to 10 years or more! Sorry about your bad news! That's terrible... complications from H1N1?? And only 60 yrs old! Reminds me.... our German next door neighbors were gone for 3 days and no one knew where they were. We were all kind of worried... they were supposed to come to that party Fri. night. Well, they showed up last night. So this morning coming home from chapel I see them walking with their garbage and Peter has a neck brace on. So I stopped to chat and find out where they were and what's up with the neck brace. They said they were out walking in the desert last Wed. and Peter suddenly fell backwards and neck was hurting. Nursed it through the night but when he got up in the morning had tingling and numbness in his hands and feet. So they went to the ER. Long story short.... 5 hrs of surgery later... doctors said he was a very lucky man not to be paralyzed. He had THREE bad discs in his neck that they had to fuse and had to put in metal plate and screws. Amazed that he's back home already after hearing the story! He's not very old either... they may be 60, or maybe not. Very, very physically fit though. Bike ride to them is 20 miles! Singing at the nursing home sounds like great fun. My Dad and I did that once or twice... I would play the piano for him and he would sing. Wish we'd done some singing together. That would've been fun.

My energy level not much better. HAVE to be in the shower in 10 minutes if I'm going to make it over to chapel by 9:30 a.m. for short choir practice before morning service! UGH! We are doing creative parking since concrete prep is blocking everything off.. will talk to neighbors across the street about using their extra space... and Brett & Trixie aren't back yet so someone can park there. It's going to be interesting for the next few days. BTW... why is no one chewing me out about the Papaya?? Don't you know as soon as I decide to quit it, RiteAid has it on 2 for 1 sale this week??!! They do it once a month and I've been watching the paper every Sunday looking for the ad. That's the week I always stock up and buy about 4 bottles!! MY BAD!! AND.... Earl is NOT to know about this!!! LOL! My Papaya = his cigarettes! Which he says he's not smoking anymore!! Yeah, right!