Hi All,
June is here with a vengence too. The weeds are loving this weather!
I spent last week with my DD and family--dance recital, b/d, and piano recital. I know I'm the grandma but my little GD sure did good. It is such a pleasure to be a part of what they do.
DD took me to her water arobic class and on the other days we walked. She sure didn't let me be still for long. Really we enjoyed our week. Then of course when it is the childrens special day for whatever they get to choose where we eat; so we did a lot of that, too.
Our summer is going to be fast and ferious at least this first 1 1/2 months.

On the way home I stopped and spent the night with my DS who is an avid garage sale person so we went Sat morning. My best purchase was a table topper already cut out for 6 crazy quilt type blocks with a fall look and the material to make the backing for 75 cents. It could have been a couple of years old but I think what happened is she got it cut out and didn't know how to sew it together. It was obviously cut with sissors and her pattern was cut from newsprint. I really didn't know for sure what I had until I got home. It was just material for 75 cents (as if I need more material). When I started to pay for it she said it was to be a table topper which she cut but never sewed. I have sewn the blocks because it was a challenge. When I get it made I will post a picture.

Hope you all have a great month and find something that thrills you as much as my purchase thrilled me; doesn't take a lot for me! :)

I'm still walking. DH is walking with me and I think he is enjoying it.

KOKO Sally

Good morning.

Oh a spa party, how nice Rosa. I often wondered how they worked. I know my beauty shop has them but I know that everyone can't get a massage and some get pedicures but it seemed like there would be a lot of waiting around. Still would like to try it.

Sally, a great find. Send pics when you get it done. Always love a bargain. You are right about the weeds---I think all this rain has everything so green, including the weeds. My flowers are really starting to look nice. I have so many things on my to do list this weekend.

We had a great trip to Mpls. Saw the Twins lose to the Yankees twice. Out of 14 of us, only 5 were Twins fans and it seemed like the Yankee fans were all over. We also took a short trip in a river boat on the Mississippi River. Was nice and relaxing and a little bit of history as well. BUT-
am having a heck of a time losing the 4 pounds from the week before and today is weigh in day at work. I don't want to give in and pay $10.00 to stay in but also know that I need to control my eating and work out with more conviction!!!!

I did get to Hancock in Mpls and out of desperation bought what I hope will work. I hate to do that as you are just waiting for the right fabric to pop out but my time is getting close and need to get this quilt finished.

Well, I better get going to work. Would be easy to stay home :) KOKO Deanna

Hope I'm not butting in since my diet has been really suffering lately! I just can't seem to stick with it.
I wanted to mention a a web site that offers daily (or about that) little updates on groceries products & restaurants & new diet related food finds. I really enjoy it.(no affiliation at all) called Hungry-girl.com

Here is a link that might be useful: hungry-girl

Hey, y'all!

Rosa, Thanks for starting the thread. Your day out with the girls sounds fun! My mom did something like that for us a few years back....manicures and pedicures with her, my sister and myself and the 4 nieces that were there at the time. We all had a great time! A nice way of being good to yourself!

Sally, I know you enjoyed your week with the family! Doesn't get much better than that, eh? I think it's so important to make those memories for the grandkids and support them in their extra-curricular activities. Don't ya love going to garage sales? And what a find! Of course, you 'always' need more fabric!!!! Great way (and inexpensive that time) to treat yourself! lol I know it's so much more fun to have someone to walk with. I enjoy having my DH go with me when I walk, too.

Deanna, My nephew wants to take my mom to a Twins game while she's still able to get out and about a little bit. Not sure if she could stay the whole time, but he doesn't care.....just wants to get her there. She watches them diligently on TV. I happened to see a Hancocks fabric in Fort Wayne when I was stranded there with DD (did I tell you that story?), so I'd like to check it out before I leave to go back home if I can....not sure I've ever been to one!

Welcome easystitches! You can butt right in here anytime you want to! As you can tell, some of us don't always do what we know we should, but we try to encourage each other that it isn't the end of the world when we stray off what we've set up for ourselves as an eating/exercise guide and to just try and get back on track and KOKO (Keep On Keeping On).

I'm busy, busy, busy...have gone out and done something with someone everyday since I got here last Saturday til yesterday....but am enjoying being with my loved ones that I only see once or maybe twice a year. Today I'm going out to spend the afternoon with my aunt and hopefully will be able to have a few chuckles with our memories. Tomorrow, I plan to spend the day with a couple of 'used to be' neighbors who have kept in touch with us over the last 25 years. Lots of memories/miles there!

SharonG/FL-IN-Now in MI

(My laptop isn't working out too good as far as being able to get on line at this location. @:(

Sharon, It sure sounds like you are having great fun getting to visit with so many people. I really enjoy being with family, too. I am so grateful for the opportunity to make memories with my grands.

Easystitches, welcome. I have gotten a lot of encouragement here for doing what most of us know we should do. Knowing someone will celebrate with you when you have a success and will encourage us to get back on tract and not be judgemental when we slip is a great feeling. Hope you will hop right in.

Deanna, you do so much great exercise; could it be muscle? The main thing is to just keep on doing what you know is right for you and it will disappear. I was really greatful for the 1/2 pound loss I had last week.

I have now missed two days of walking due to a tremendous sinus infection. I know that the walking is very important for me and as soon as I can breathe better I will be back out there. One of the things I have discovered about my self is something in me thinks I can solve any problem with food. Tired-before I think to rest my brain says get something to eat. Not feeling well my first thought is to eat something. It goes that way for a lot of emotions. I have eaten when happy, sad, irritated, etc, etc. Fortunately, sometimes I can now remind myself that is not what I really need. I can't always think that clearly-old habits are hard to break. Just got to KOKO.

Rosa, It must be fun to go to the spa with the girls. My daughter has talked about us getting a massage together. This gives me an idea. I think as soon as the children start back to school I will go over and we will do that.
She will be so busy this summer and that will get us stared in the fall relaxed. Thanks, Rosa, for the idea.

Have a good week.
Sally

This week has been blaaa. Sinus out of control; actually controlling me. Am much better but guess it will have to run it's course--whatever that means. I'm going back to DD to stay with DGS while DD is away at camp with his little sister and SIL is working. He has a day camp so I just have to get him there and get in the afternoon. We will have one day he will be home. I will just see what he wants to do.

I want to get back to my walking and if I'm better I can walk in their neighborhood.

Hope everyone has a great week.
Sally

Glad you are having a great time Sharon it is fun to walk down memory lane with loved ones. It was nice to 'hear' your pleasant posts, you are missed.
I was listening to a college baseball game his afternoon that was held in Tampa and it was mentioned that the heat was in the 90's with unbelievable humidity.
We are having temps about 10 degrees above normal for us, but the humidity is nothing like I remember in CF. My fam here thinks it is LOL!!!
Sally I suffered with a sinus infection for 2 weeks, I feel for you. I found relief with heating pads on my head and neck. Go for the massage, the sauna also help my head. Have fun with DGS!! The only problem I have with 'girls day out' is that we EAT way too much.
Deanna do you have much humidity in SD???? It is so hot here that we have been warned to stay inside as much as possible at midday. They don't have to warn me too much LOL!!!!
Welcome Easy, we can use all the support we can get LOL! I have actually lost 2 more pounds and I think it is because I have been canning sweet onions and eating quite a bit of them with other veggies that are ripening. Tomatoes are ready in a week or two and that will be my next canning project.
I was told by a salesperson when I bought my macrofiber cleaning towels that they work better slightly damp and they work great on windows and mirrors. Two years later I am really tired of my streaky bathroom mirrors and I tried them. They work so well I will never use Windex again, just go over with the damp towel and use another to dry. STREAK FREE!!! Made the chrome shine too!!!! Now if I can just find the energy to dust the entire house.
Have a blessed week everyone KOKO Rosa

I forgot to tell you about my 2&1/2 month old nephew once removed, boy that is a mouthful!!!
We were at Mom's for her birthday and I have only seen him when he was 2 weeks old.
He has 3 older siblings that are out of school and play with him all day. I think my niece is going to have her hands full when the entertainment goes back to school.
He laughs at everything, he even thinks the TV is talking to him. He was born with a head full of dark hair that is about 3 inches long now and stands straight up and out. He is beautiful with big blue eyes but is going to be big like his dad and already looks about 6 months old. He sure is a happy, easy going, and beautiful baby. But I am sooooooooo glad I just have visitation rights!!!!!

Rosa, When you get done going through your house, you're welcome to bring your cleaning supplies and do mine, too! Who knows what it looks like with DH there alone for 3 months....DGD told me she swept the kitchen cause he didn't notice the sand on the floor but that he's keeping the crumbs off the counter. I never could figure out the once removed and first and second things. My 14 yo granddaughter from Florida is here and is running around with my cousin's grandchildren so what does that make them to each other? I can't wait to see my new great-grandbaby on Monday....wondering what she'll look like. My grandson is Hispanic and his wife is blonde. What a combination, eh? And, yes, at my age, visitation rights only, please. lol

Sally, Hope you start to feel better so you can have a wonderful BD! I think during the summer months our family's call upon us more (which is really what we want them to feel free to do) to help out with things and our routines get out of whack. Knowledge is power, so as long as we 'know' that, I think we'll all be fine....we make concessions and then do what we have to do to make up for it. Your walking will come back.....

Grandson's open house is Saturday and then I'll be going back to IN and taking DGD with me. It's her brother who graduated so she'll get to spend some time with him at the open house. We've had some major storms here and tornado sirens going off a few times....just normal Spring activities, I reckon, but I haven't been in such storms in awhile. I've been doing some handsewing and a lot of reading. I just finished a good book, so think I'll post about it on the reading thread. With all the activity I've been doing, I've had to rest more.....gotta take care of me....nobody know's how I feel except me, and the same goes for you! Take care of yourselves, be good to yourselves and eat fresh veggies out of the garden if you can......I love this time of year!

Tell us how you prepare some of your garden veggies. I think we get stuck in a rut sometimes and need a little variety....I like mine steamed and also stir fried.

SharonG/FL-IN-MI

Sharon I never 'got' it either, I just always said nieces baby LOL and at a reunion I was corrected!!!!!!!! The once removed is as far as I understand BUT you have me interested and I am going to find out!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love some recipies too. I was watching Emril but his version of a little butter is about 2 sticks. My fav is tomatoes and I just eat them with a little salt or on a sandwich, with mayo of course (sigh). I am glad the tomato scare is not linked to our local farms. Tomorrow night my fam is going to a seafood buffet, I may skip because for $25 a plate I know I will PIG OUT. This Sat is another first birthday for ANOTHER once removed. Did I mention I am the oldest of SIX girls LOL!!!! Last weekend went to a surprise B-Day for a cousin turning 50. Love the fam but the parties always have fattening and delicious food. I have 4 baby B-Day parties in August the same week, I always tell my DH I am glad he loves fat women!! I can tell you from the way my DH cleans (he does do his own laundry and cooks)I would move before I went back to a home he had been alone in for 3+ months. You are one brave woman Sharon LOL!!! Enjoy your vacation with your fam.
Rosa in hotter temps than CF, but less humidity!

Rosa, How do you can sweet onions? Never
heard of that. Sounds good.
Mayme

Mayme, I was looking for ANYTHING to put the onions in LOL. Last year we had 50 lbs for $10 but I didn't really have a good place to store them so I gave most to my DD to take to friends in FL.
This year we paid $10 for 25 lbs, which is still cheap. I found a recipe for a relish that didn't turn them mushy and I posted the recipe on the canning forum to make sure it was safe and I wouldn't make anyone sick with my good intentions LOL. They said it was very safe.
10 c chopped sweet onions ( I found that was about 10 med)
2&1/4 c vinegar (5%)
1t celery seed
2T salt
1T tumeric (mainly adds golden color, but is good for u)
Combine everything and simmer for 10 minutes (metal pot not good). Place in 5 pint sterilized canning jars and water bath process for 15 minutes.
You can use them in salads (egg, potato, etc.) or on hot dogs and other sandwiches. They will not be as crisp as raw onions. Next time I am going to add mustard seeds. The original recipe called for 1&1/2 c sugar, but I have cooked these onions in sauces and it makes them soooooo sweet that my question to the experts was could I leave it out completely, they said yes or you can safely add just a little, or substitute Splenda.
Gained a pound (to hot to do anything but sweat) KOKO Rosa

Hello all,
Seems like I have done a lot of lurking but not much posting. Glad to hear you are all doing well. I have done a little kayaking, some gardening, weeding :(, sewing, hiking and working. We have had some beautiful days but storm threats seem to be a daily occurence. We have not had the humidity though, but I am sure that it is coming.
And even though walking, doing a good job of packing on the pounds.. I just do fine if I eat my home cooked meals but was at a workshop where we ate out each meal and I think my body just retains all the sodium they use to make the food so good....oh well,,,

Thinking of you all, stay safe with all these storms and koko. Deanna

Hi all....bad weather here again....we (DGD and I) are watching The Sound of Music....again! I took her boyfriend to driver's training before the rain started in earnest and chix and noodles are made and ready for supper. The World's Longest Breakfast Table is tomorrow...hope the weather co-operates. I haven't been to it in a long time. Then tomorrow afternoon is DGS's open house after which we'll head back to Indiana for 2 weeks.

Rosa, your onion relish sounds like it would be excellent on hot dogs.

Stay safe everyone.....and KOKO.....we'll get thru this summer somehow!

SharonG/Fl