phyllser

Well, if you're talking spaghetti & meatballs..... we sometimes have spaghetti and meat sauce, but weigh the pasta.... 2 oz angel hair, OR, I have mine over french style green Beans. And we usually use ground turkey. Also, we add lots of mushrooms and onions. Another idea is to make a "lasagna" using sliced eggplant instead of noodles, ground turkey, low fat ricotta and other low fat cheeses, and keep your sauce as low calorie as you can. We make our sauce with a couple of cans of diced tomatoes and maybe 1 can of tomato paste for the two of us.

Forgot this- bad news for my friend Jacki. Had her gall bladder out a few weeks ago. Oncologist told her yesterday it was cancerous. Said it is extremely rare for breast cancer to spread there. Also she has cirhhosis of liver, probably from bout of hepatitis in 1968. So now have to find balance beteeen fighting the cancer without further dama age to liver. Liver enzymes spiked when on drug they want to use after only 8 days so they had hrr stop until after the sirgery. Started back on it today at 2caps 2X a day instead of 3 like before and check enzymes again in a week. Has to wear gloves to take capsules!! Very potent!"

Scary! Steph on way to Portland for emerhency surgery to remove band. Nothing in for 72 hrs. She is what....4th one thos summer??? Steph, Karri, Laura and Julie from other thread. Came here for sun and it was cloudy most of the day. Chilly this morning and lots of rain!!! Sunny now but very windy so inside playing Rummikub.

PT in 40 minutes, then over the mountains to catch some sun and warm weather. Still feeling really dragged out. Will make Dr appt on Wed when we get home if I'm not feeling better by then. I mean, almost too "tired" to ride my scooter and hoping for red lights when I'm driving so I can rest for a minute! Not at all normal for me. I know I'm not getting enough sleep.... go to bed too late, play games on my iPod AFTER i get in bed... not too smart when I know I need some good rest. Coughing at night still, so that doesn't help. Took Mucinex and cough syrup just before going to bed last night. That helped a lot. Didn't wake up in the middle of the night hacking like the night before. FOOD channel a BAD idea!! Heck, I have been known to hit the kitchen looking for food just because I saw a commercial about FOOD!! Food channel would be way too much temptation!! glad Mellissa is doing well, though, and that you had a good visit, Janet! A little sun today.... what they like to refer to as "filtered sun"!! Which means mostly cloudy with sun breaks!! Only 64 degrees at almost noon! Supposed to be 85ish on the east side of the mountains today, so that will be a welcome relief. Jim & Tracy forgot Jim's C-Pap, Tracy's restless leg Rx, so Earl is over there picking up that stuff, getting their mail out of their mail box and putting it in the house and getting me another bathing suit out of the RV. Glad you had a good trip, Janet! Candice.... our reunion is 12-14 Aug. Our stay is going to be fairly short, so have to think hard about taking time to come up and see you. And my sister from OR is going to be in Buffalo, too, so will be doing some sister things. What gigs are scheduled for Aug time frame?? I think we have to head home no later than the 18th because I have cardiology appt on the 25th. Well, so much for what I was going to get done between TOPS and PT. Gotta get ready to go!! Will read posts on my phone while we're gone. CBL.... like late Wed. Hugs to all!!

Good Saturday afternoon! Looks like I haven't been on here in almost a week. But I have been reading all the posts from my email. Welcome, Cy!! Glad you joined us. Another cool, drizzly, dreary day here in western WA!! UGH!! Tracy & Jim invited us over Sun-Wed, but I have PT at noon on Monday, so may go over Monday afternoon and see if we can "catch some rays" and warm up for a few days. I'm going to see if it's okay if we stay until Thursday morning and change my 2nd PT appt to Friday. Scheduled now for 10a.m. on Thurs. and would have to leave at 6 a.m. to make sure I was home on time for that! Tracy's boss is coming for a short visit on Thurs and she is quite nervous about it. She is taking a strong stance on continuing in her current job and is afraid Jim might say something prematurely! She has her "conditions" well mapped out but doesn't want to approach the subject until she goes back to work in about a month. So, need to give her enough space to meet the situation in a relaxed mode! Though we always leave with everything neat and tidy in our area... wash the sheets and towels and remake the bed, etc. Getting concerned about how long its taking me to get my strength back. Feel so exhausted all the time. Still coughing a little, but the tiredness is the main lingering symptom and, of course, that makes me worry about the newly diagnosed cardiac issues! Earl shrugged it off when I mentioned that to him today. But can't help worrying. Wish the dr wasn't having me wait so long for the 2nd test. I see him again on 8/25 and the T.E.Echo will be scheduled after that. Zoey got groomed today so she's acting weird... hiding behind our chairs, under the table, etc. Really like the place we're going to and they do a good job. Just think dogs feel weird when they've had a "haircut"! Sorry Karri decided to leave... again, but I don't think I said anything particularly offensive.... just that I took her off my FB because her posts were getting too offensive. I'd take Earl off for the same reason if he wasn't my husband!! LOL! I think it's okay to disagree with one another's political, religious or social views, but it can be expressed without calling names and being insulting. That's what I tell Earl all the time. Well, I've been served with my dinner!! Leftover ground pork meatloaf and seared asparagus! CBL

Thanks for the kudos, but feeling very discouraged right now... up a few pounds, down a few, back up a few! Been very hard this week cuz Chris & Kelllie & kids are in town.... brought dgs up for orientation at U of WA and picking up their oldest for a 2 wk visit at home. So last week met them down south to have dinner with them and Jodie & Al & kids. I felt awful, but wanted to go and see everyone. But... too much. And Jodie put a guilt trip on me for spending two weekends over in eastern WA w/Tracy & Jim. UH>>>> we went to the zoo with her & the kids the week before & were there that night she was complaining to me. The kids really tire me out... all three want to talk at the same time, etc. Not feeling good doesn't help. Yesterday Chris & Justin & Earl went to an air show all day long, so I went shopping with the girls.. shopped all afternoon and ate food court chinese! chicken & rice... nothing fried, and I only ate half, but greasy and too much sodium, I'm sure. HAVE to eat healthy!! So told them today that WE will fix dinner for everyone tomorrow... we're going to do baked chicken, baked potatoes... white & sweet, salad, and Earl wants to get corn on the cob. I bought all that salad stuff last week... shrimp, grilled chicken strips, lots of tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, and only got to use it once. Was thinking of making myself a salad today when they called and wanted us to go to lunch! Well, that's enough of my sad tales! Still feeling really lousy. Can't seem to shake this thing... coughing, etc. Congestion is so bad in the morning I go through about 1/2 box of kleenex I think trying to get my head clear. ... and a couple cups of hot coffee. Have no energy. When we weren't with the family today, I did nothing but sit in my chair and play solitaire on my computer! Never even read the paper. Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to PT at noon, but if I don't feel a lot better, and if I'm still coughing,I'm not going to go again! Whine, whine, whine, huh??!! Sorry! Love you all and reading your posts. I'm up to New Orleans, just let me know what time frame you are thinkiing of. BTW, weather here has been GREAT for the last several days!! I am here being busy with family and being sick!! LOL that sounds GREAT!!

Hi! I am SO sick! Caught a miserable cold in eastern WA last weekend. Think either a waiter where we ate Sat. night or girl who made me coffee Sunday was sick. Jim said he saw one of the girls at Cider Works coughing and sneezing.... I got coffee there 2 days in a row and spent almost two hours up there one day using their WiFi. At any rate, coughing, head congested, sore throat, no energy! Cancelled two PT appts this week but went out to dinner last night because Chris & Kellie are in town for a few days. They made plans to go out for dinner with Jodie & Alan and that was the only opportunity to spend time with all of them because Jodie & Al & kids left for camping trip this morning. So, was feeling better yesterday afternoon, but, not a good idea because now I feel worse than before! Yes, 4 years this month. I'm still down over 100 lb, but struggling. Sky Valley friend asked me on FB today about weight gain because her doctor wants to do some epidural injections for her back and he told her weight gain is a side effect because of the drugs they inject..... steroid, anti-inflammatory. So I 'spose that could be contributing to my wanting to eat all the time... like when you're smoking pot... they tell me! I'm back on the band wagon AGAIN, though! Been eating a lot of salads. Green beans and our homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner, cut down snacks and wine. No exercise this week is not going to help. Haven't walked in a few days... feeling too miserable. Paid big bucks for American Idol tour tickets for tomorrow night, so hope I'm feeling well enough to enjoy. Youngest son's birthday tomorrow too... 39 yrs old!! And a grandpa now! Gonna watch "Coal Miner's Daughter". Nothing good on TV.

Hi! We got home a few hours ago. Great weekend except for coming home with a miserable cold! Suspects are, waiter who served us dinner Saturday night, or one of the girls who made me iced coffee Saturday or Sunday. Earl had a scratchy throat on Sunday and slept a LOT yesterday, but he's okay today. I started sneezing on Sunday, and went downhill from there. Head is all plugged up, coughing has finally subsided, but just feeling really sick. Cancelled my pool PT for tomorrow and hoping I'm much better by Friday so I can go. Son, Chris & family in town for a few days. We'll see them this weekend... they're coming up to spend the weekend at Tracy's, but was hoping to meet them for dinner tomorrow night w/Jodie & family. Don't know if I'm going to feel well enough. Did I mention that DGD, Johannah broke her arm/wrist while we were at the Zoo with them last week?? Have to sign her orange cast! About an hour after I got home today, I'd finished unpacking my stuff and was going to go get a latte and take Zoey for a scooter ride. Then I told Earl I was tired, felt miserable, it was late, and I wasn't going to go. I told him to just pour me a glass of wine. So he started laughing and said, "I don't think so"! So I looked and Zoey had followed me in to the living room from the back carrying one of my shoes where she dropped it in the doorway next to another shoe she had already pulled over there~! She did that once last week when she wanted me to take her out.... dragged two shoes to the doorway. Only that time it was a shoe and a slipper, both left feet! This time it was two shoes.... they didn't match, but two shoes! She knows I take off my slippers and leave them near the door and put on my shoes before we go. And I usually tell her, wait until I get my shoes on! So... off I went to Surf Shack whether I wanted to or not because it was so cute that she's learned to bring me my shoes! I'm pretty pathetic, huh??!!! LOL Can't believe the Casey Anthony verdict!! Outrageous!! We had a great time in Eastern WA with Tracy & Jim despite the cold I brought home. Alisha & her BF were there for a couple of days. He was planning to spend time with his family, too, most of whom either live in the area or were there for a family wedding, but unfortunately, his grandmother died on Saturday, so many of the weekend activities were curtailed. His immediate family did not attend the wedding or a BBQ that we were supposed to go to with them at a local yacht club. And Shane was so dragged out over the emotion of the whole thing that they left for home earlier than they'd planned. But was glad to have had a chance to spend a lot of time with them on Friday and Saturday. They have 3 dogs, so we had a total of 6 plus Jim & Tracy's 2 cats. So the one time they left me alone with the whole menagerie for an hour or so, one of Alisha's dogs left me a pile on the deck when I went in for a minute to use the rest room! I was going to leave it for them to clean up until I thought about 6 dogs walking around on the deck and decided I didn't want it stepped in or spread around!! So I cleaned it up! Yuck!! Fortunately, it was the littlest dog! Then Sunday Adam drove over after his shift at the hospital... so we got to spend yesterday and part of today with him. He & I had the longest discussion we've had in a few years! I found out he's been reading text books that doctors studying cardiology read!!! He was telling me things I never learned in nursing school!! And he wants to go to my next echocardiogram with me if I can get permission. Or, today he said, "or ask them if you can get a DVD recording of it!" He is an EMT and works for one of the local fire depts part time and at a hospital emergency room part time. But he wants to go back to school for paramedic. His ex-GF's folks have a place in the same development, so he saw her briefly twice... they are still "friends", but he says he's over her. Kept up with your posts over the weekend with my phone, and one trip to the "Cider Works" place to use their wi fi! But, gotta go.... feeling exhausted and wrung out! Hugs to all!!

Hi! We got home a few hours ago. Great weekend except for coming home with a miserable cold! Suspects are, waiter who served us dinner Saturday night, or one of the girls who made me iced coffee Saturday or Sunday. Earl had a scratchy throat on Sunday and slept a LOT yesterday, but he's okay today. I started sneezing on Sunday, and went downhill from there. Head is all plugged up, coughing has finally subsided, but just feeling really sick. Cancelled my pool PT for tomorrow and hoping I'm much better by Friday so I can go. Son, Chris & family in town for a few days. We'll see them this weekend... they're coming up to spend the weekend at Tracy's, but was hoping to meet them for dinner tomorrow night w/Jodie & family. Don't know if I'm going to feel well enough. Did I mention that DGD, Johannah broke her arm/wrist while we were at the Zoo with them last week?? Have to sign her orange cast! About an hour after I got home today, I'd finished unpacking my stuff and was going to go get a latte and take Zoey for a scooter ride. Then I told Earl I was tired, felt miserable, it was late, and I wasn't going to go. I told him to just pour me a glass of wine. So he started laughing and said, "I don't think so"! So I looked and Zoey had followed me in to the living room from the back carrying one of my shoes where she dropped it in the doorway next to another shoe she had already pulled over there~! She did that once last week when she wanted me to take her out.... dragged two shoes to the doorway. Only that time it was a shoe and a slipper, both left feet! This time it was two shoes.... they didn't match, but two shoes! She knows I take off my slippers and leave them near the door and put on my shoes before we go. And I usually tell her, wait until I get my shoes on! So... off I went to Surf Shack whether I wanted to or not because it was so cute that she's learned to bring me my shoes! I'm pretty pathetic, huh??!!! LOL Can't believe the Casey Anthony verdict!! Outrageous!! We had a great time in Eastern WA with Tracy & Jim despite the cold I brought home. Alisha & her BF were there for a couple of days. He was planning to spend time with his family, too, most of whom either live in the area or were there for a family wedding, but unfortunately, his grandmother died on Saturday, so many of the weekend activities were curtailed. His immediate family did not attend the wedding or a BBQ that we were supposed to go to with them at a local yacht club. And Shane was so dragged out over the emotion of the whole thing that they left for home earlier than they'd planned. But was glad to have had a chance to spend a lot of time with them on Friday and Saturday. They have 3 dogs, so we had a total of 6 plus Jim & Tracy's 2 cats. So the one time they left me alone with the whole menagerie for an hour or so, one of Alisha's dogs left me a pile on the deck when I went in for a minute to use the rest room! I was going to leave it for them to clean up until I thought about 6 dogs walking around on the deck and decided I didn't want it stepped in or spread around!! So I cleaned it up! Yuck!! Fortunately, it was the littlest dog! Then Sunday Adam drove over after his shift at the hospital... so we got to spend yesterday and part of today with him. He & I had the longest discussion we've had in a few years! I found out he's been reading text books that doctors studying cardiology read!!! He was telling me things I never learned in nursing school!! And he wants to go to my next echocardiogram with me if I can get permission. Or, today he said, "or ask them if you can get a DVD recording of it!" He is an EMT and works for one of the local fire depts part time and at a hospital emergency room part time. But he wants to go back to school for paramedic. His ex-GF's folks have a place in the same development, so he saw her briefly twice... they are still "friends", but he says he's over her. Kept up with your posts over the weekend with my phone, and one trip to the "Cider Works" place to use their wi fi! But, gotta go.... feeling exhausted and wrung out! Hugs to all!!

Wow, Candice, congrats on your success at the Empire! That's GREAT!! Down at "Cider Works" using their wifi. Zoey sleeping in the scooter basket. Bored! Alisha & Shane & 3 dogs left this a.m. His grandma died yesterday and they went to spend time with his family. Quiet with half the dog population gone. Fireworks in Chelan last night were great. Didn't think my pictures were uploading so now there are multiple copies and I have to delete a bunch from FB! Two more sleeps here before we head home. Hope you are all having a good weekend.

Good Morning! Headed out to PT in a short time. All packed up and ready to head over the mountains when I'm done. T & J already over there. Should be interesting, DGD coming w/her BF & their THREE dogs! Plus Zoey, Gigi & Misty! Oh, & T & J's 2 cats! Candy is staying home and she's already upset. She figured out two litter boxes in the BR & packed bags mean she's staying home. She threw up all her food in front of Earl's chair early this morning! Heard her crying real loud @7a.m. Zoey jumped off the bed barking and went running to investigate. She didn't know what that strange sound was! A few minutes ago she jumped off my lap and went running to the door barking because the neighbor's cat was sniffing around my scooter out on the patio. She doesn't mind all the cats hanging around but she doesn't like it if they go near "her" scooter!! Don't know where the week has gone! Didn't get my epidural on Tuesday. Doc said if I was tolerating the pain pretty well we should hold off. If he gave me a 3rd now Medicare won't pay for another for 6 months, so sounded like a good decision. Wed. is a blur. Thursday was big shopping trip to Winco and Costco. We seem to have foregone Walmart for the summer because the one closest to us we HATE. Always jam packed, and traffic getting there is usually a nightmare, too, as well as parking. And there's now a Winco a block away from Costco in Everett, so it's easy. We start there, then Zoey and I ride the scooter over to Costco. We got stocked up for the weekend at Sun Cove. Found skinny bagels... 110 calories, but that's if you eat top and bottom. 5 gm of fiber, too. Zoey loves all the attention she gets when we go shopping. I am very impressed with how many parents are teaching their kids to ask me if it's okay before they approach the dog... even little tiny kids! Keeping up with my daily walk. Back is doing better, knees so so. Karla... can't believe you pushed that truck!! Janet... weather here on this side of the mountains is supposed to be decent this weekend, unlike last year!! But we're not taking any chances. We're going where we know it will be warm and sunny! Adam & Alisha both will be spending part of the weekend with us, so that will be nice! Candice.... Happy Canada Day!! Linda.... chill. If they find dirt or dust, so be it!!! LOL I gotta go!! Literally, and time to get ready for PT!!

So sorry! I'd have a Long Island Iced Tea with you if I were there! Yeah, we're all defective, but we usually don't recognize our own frailties as well as we do in those around us!! I am having a bad day also. Feeling so down I am thinking about going to see my primary care doc to get my Zoloft increased to 100 mg! Someone here is being a butthead today... intermittently, then he can't figure out why I am responding to that. Just generally down today over a myriad of things preying on my mind... cardiologist's dx, DH, wgt gain today at TOPS, etc. And when I need support and encouragement, I get lectured about what I did wrong and what I need to do to do better! Hugs to you, girl!! We both need to take a happy pill maybe!! Zoey is whining at the door because some kids are playing on the little hill outside the door of our condo and she wants to go play with them. I had PT late this afternoon... sort of disrupted my evening. We're usually finished with dinner by now, but haven't eaten yet. Plus I wasted a lot of time on the way home. Stopped to shop at the Dollar store... which made Earl really happy, stopped at RiteAid to take my BP, and stopped at Albertson's to see if the Skinny Cow Truffles were on sale. So... didn't get home until after 5pm from my 3pm appointment! Later, chicks! Hope everyone has a relaxing evening. I will be watching stupid Ashley on The Bachellorette!! She can't get over that guy who has no interest in her at all and left on his own a couple of weeks ago saying he missed his little daughter... which was a CROCK!!! CBL

So sorry! I'd have a Long Island Iced Tea with you if I were there! Yeah, we're all defective, but we usually don't recognize our own frailties as well as we do in those around us!! I am having a bad day also. Feeling so down I am thinking about going to see my primary care doc to get my Zoloft increased to 100 mg! Someone here is being a butthead today... intermittently, then he can't figure out why I am responding to that. Just generally down today over a myriad of things preying on my mind... cardiologist's dx, DH, wgt gain today at TOPS, etc. And when I need support and encouragement, I get lectured about what I did wrong and what I need to do to do better! Hugs to you, girl!! We both need to take a happy pill maybe!! Zoey is whining at the door because some kids are playing on the little hill outside the door of our condo and she wants to go play with them. I had PT late this afternoon... sort of disrupted my evening. We're usually finished with dinner by now, but haven't eaten yet. Plus I wasted a lot of time on the way home. Stopped to shop at the Dollar store... which made Earl really happy, stopped at RiteAid to take my BP, and stopped at Albertson's to see if the Skinny Cow Truffles were on sale. So... didn't get home until after 5pm from my 3pm appointment! Later, chicks! Hope everyone has a relaxing evening. I will be watching stupid Ashley on The Bachellorette!! She can't get over that guy who has no interest in her at all and left on his own a couple of weeks ago saying he missed his little daughter... which was a CROCK!!! CBL

Ya think???? In fact, I'm having a really bitchy day today. Get SO tired of HIS bitching and complaining and ranting and raving. Then after several hours of that he wants to know why I'M being so nasty!!! GRRRRRR! Well, I guess it started with instructions on how to eat my breakfast. Then on to telling me why I had a gain at TOPS this morning...all the wrong things I ate and what I did and didn't do! I've been wanting to run away for 2 days now. Hmmm... I guess since Tracy & I got back from over the mountains!! Haven't personally been "ripped", but feel like it since I disagree with most of the angry rants. How's the pond coming?? Gotta get going. Almost time for PT. Late afternoon appt today. Had to change my appt and I don't remember why! Tomorrow morning I have back doctor appt and maybe a 3rd epidural injection. Then DD #2 wants us to go to the zoo with her. We will if it's not raining, but if it is, I can't walk that zoo.... up and down and up and down, some fairly steep inclines. Anyway, probably wouldn't be advisable after back injection. Hope she doesn't get her feelings hurt if we don't go... haven't seen much of her & family and she knows we've spent a lot of time with Tracy & Jim. But... the road goes 2 ways! And she didn't even call Earl to wish him Happy Father's Day... just a FB message! Even Steve-O called and he was on the road on his way to new job in Houston. Been on the 401.. and to Toronto and beyond quite a few times. No fun!!