Apples2

Sorry Arlene, like I said...didn't want to make anyone drool. My doc calls says I'm an enigma...never get tired ususally. You have to realize, I only do this 3-4 days a week. The real work will hit once harvest starts.

Afternoon, Ladies! (and Larry) LOL Got home from lake about 11am. DH came up early on Friday as we had a wedding at 3pm (weird time). LONG Catholic wedding...1.5 hours. Reception and dance at the Holiday Inn. Served mashed garlic potatoes, OILY green Beans, stuffing and turkey. Was fun seeing the neices and nephews...DH's mother was her regular crabby self and tends to ruin every family get-together. She tried again but think the joy of the wedding over-rode her attempts. We only had to travel 30 miles from our lake home. We were back and around the campfire by 11pm. Went to bed about 2pm. Was COLD in the evenings this weekend. Got down to 41 degrees on Sat night and low fifties on Friday night. Embarassed to say that I went to bed with 4 jackets on Friday night after the campfire. Woke up at 3am and stripped down. DH was counting the zippers as I ripped them open. (Woke him up). Fun weekend and do not look forward to closing up in a month. I know what you mean, Meredith, about the work involved with going on that mini vacation. I make it easy on myself and have the lake place fully stocked and do not move anything back and forth. Just stock the cupboards and freezer at the beginning of the season and all I travel back and forth with is the clean laundry from the weekend b/4. I have it down to a science after all these years. BTW...Happy Belated Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK...too much to respond to but I did catch up with everyone's posts. Today is catch up day and so will be tomorrow. Heading north again on Wed and will be with one of my best friends for a surgery on Thursday. Will be some travelling involved so know it will be most of the day with her and getting back really lake. She is 89 yrs old and bladder cancer is back again. She's a tough lady but has a good attitude in her court. Love her to death. She has been a mother figure to me for many, many years. Band is tight since I found out last week that her cancer is back. I have been force-feeding since then. I never miss getting all of my calories in. Have a pot of chili brewing on the stove, and alfredo dish (made with homemade egg noodles out of my freezer), making egg salad for noon sandwiches tomorrow, have a peach cobbler in the oven and have a three garlic turkey filets ready to put in oven when cobbler comes out. Also will mix up a beer/cheese bread that is made with self rising whole wheat flour. Plan do do 120 quarts of freezer sweet corn in the morning. I don't list what I make to make you guys drool! LOL. Just and outline of what a typical day at this place is all about. More interesting than listing how many oily pairs of jeans and shirts went through the wash ! None of food I make makes me drool anymore. It's almost like I know what my band will tolerate and I crave the things that it allows. Laura...sorry to hear of your TOM problems. One of my best friends used to be incompacitated (sp?) for a couple of days each month. Hope you can get some relief in the near future. Linda...sorry about your friend. Julie...great photos...you are a very pretty lady and can really see of diff in weight in photos....Cute little Mimi. Wish she was mine! Everyone else.....will check back later. Just bolied the damned egg noodles over. Thank God of glass cooktops. Later.

Laura....I know that you realize how lucky you are to have Nelson. I have friends that jumped through all the hoops you did to be able to have children and then adopted because treatments did not work. Was really tough on their marraige and their finances. I all levels out in the end and they were gifted with special little angels. I started out wanting at least 5 children. God only allowed me two special guys. My water broke at 5 months along with my second and docs told me I would never carry another. (Uterus had a tear). Had my tubes tied on the table when they did the c-section and I never looked back. Just am very thankful for the two I have. DH spent the first six months of his life in hospital. His mother delivered him and his twin brother when she was five months along. DH weighed 1.9 oz 55 yrs ago. A miracle baby. His brother only lived 12 hours and weighed 2lbs 12 oz. DH had not one thing wrong with him and thrived....just needed to be in hospital till he weighed 5lbs. He only weighed 18lbs at 18 months old. It amazes me when I think about the odds back then. Eva...sounds like you have come to terms with not having children. All we can do in life is handle what comes our way and accept and not second guess how things turn out. Pats on the back to you for that. Meredith...Just give Andrew a few extra hugs and kisses, talk about it all if he's willing. Hope things are back to normal for you today. Getting my stuff together and then heading North to the lake. Have a wedding for DH's nephew tomorrow. 3pm on a Friday...weird time but what worked for them. Need to head to the closets to pick out a dress for the wedding and get DH's clothes ready. Phyll...thinking of you and your hurdles during your recovery. Hang in there. Hope you all have a great weekend. Sounds like we will have temps in the 70's..PERFECT! xoxoxoxo

Yeah!!! Janet had a good day for once and Laura and IF made it through the first day of school. Life IS good. Laura...yet leaving in the morning for the lake. OMG...what a beautiful boy with beautiful curls! Happy dad is going home tomorrow and continues to recover quickly. Good night everyone. Signing off to go finish the NY crossword.

I remember those days as being quite nervous ones also. Try to relax and go with the flow. Spend your time on LapBandTalk and get all the info you can to prepare yourself for what is ahead. Any questions are welcome. Lpglarry...wishing you luck on your LB journey!:thumbdown:

Julie....forgot to answer you on what's for supper. Flat Iron steaks are marinating in fresh lime juice. I squeazed to limes, put 8 steaks into 2 gallon size bags and they are sitting waiting for the rub. In an hour I will take them out and rub with a combination of dry garlic, dry onion powder, and a Tbls of hot sauce and then grill. Also serving with roast red baby potatoes, sweet corn from the field and dessert is a combo of blueberries, seedless grapes, mangos and white peaches. I make a dressing for the fruit with 1/2 cup FF sourcream, 1/4 cup coconut and 1 cup FF Cool Whip. I thin it down a bit with 1/8 cup FF milk. Also am making homemade baking powder bisquits. I throw in a TBLS of minced garlic, 1 cup FF shredded cheese and TBLS of dried Italian seasoning into the dough. I do not take the time to roll them out. I drop them by the spoonful on the pan. That's the menu for tonight.

Arlene...we almost did the Destin thing last year. Had all the info and ready to book and then the hurricane hit. We loved it so much in the Ocala National Forest that we decided we were going back again this year. We met sooooo many people and have made quite a few friendships out of our stay there. We keep in contact with a lot of them on a weekly (or daily) basis. Great...you will figure out the family stuff. I actually do not allow the word jealous or evyy into my vocabulary but I do look at people with what seem to be very close families and I get a pang. I am a believer that if something is worth fighting for, then save it. You will know what to do. Half the battle is getting it out and talking about it. Julie...happy to hear you at least made an appt. with the chiropractor...wish you were going to a med dr. just to get checked. Take care.

Darn! Lost a very long post Do I sound younger? Color, cut and highlights done. Came home, put on cute shorts and a summer shirt and I am prancing around my palace (humble abode) like a young princess. Struted by DH a couple of times while he was home with the field sprayer to reload. Made sure he noticed his young, cute wife. Didn't know I could swing my hips like that without them hurting! DH noticed. Linda...congrats on the 2lbs! Janet...thanks for the kind words. Yep, I did my work on putting things in order in my life. Family didn't make the attempt. I think that once I was able to forgive (don't have to forget cuz it makes me who I am), the anger left me and I could make an attempt to leave them in my dust. Something I have not guilt over...just something that needed to be done in order for me to live life and focus on my (almost perfect) DH and wonderful boys. Laura...what a sweet, cute spit shined boy. All those firsts are tough on momma. The only advise I have is to enjoy each and every moment. They grow so fast and before you know it, Nels will be waving at you from his camero and off to his first year of college. It's easy to let go when you know you were the best momma that you could be. (Hope that statement didn't make you feel even worse)! All I can say is that I can tell you are a great mom and pay a lot of attention to that little guy. I love hearing about him and seeing his photos. Thanks. Gitrdone...nice to see your posts. Keep coming back...we love to hear how you are doing. Better get things going here. Knee deep work to get done b/4 bedtime tonight. Later!

Hang in there, Linda. Never easy losing a friend. Will be thinking of you!

How far along in the process are you. Do you have restriction? I found that when I had that "empty stomach" feeling, that something warm to drink really helped. I love coffee and tea. Sometimes I would mix a a "fake" cappacino. 1/2 cup soy milk or FF milk, 1/2 cup coffee, 1 packet Splenda and 1/2 of a 25 calorie hot chocolate packet. For under 100 cals you have a great treat and is very satisfying. Good luck to you!

Eva...you are right...friends can fill that void when your family of origin cannot or willnot. Long and messy story but I have not had contact with my family since 1995. (It all stems from 10 yrs of childhood sexual abuse...them defending the abuser, etc. and blah, blah, blah...they don't deserve to have me. My mother went to her grave defending that pedophile). Anywho...have worked through it all, nothing haunts me anymore. Missed them at first but filled the holes with many good friends. I would rather have my family in tact but they are so toxic that I know my life would be totally different if they were in it. I guess the point I want to make is....if you have family and it's really worth keeping it all together then do what it takes to keep it together. If what they do is really affecting your life and the lives of your immediate family, rethink your relationship with them and do what you need to do to make YOUR life happy and sane without feeling guilty about your decisions to do so. Make sense? Great...hang in there....sisters are just trying to get a reaction out of their "SKINNY" sister!

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TO NELSON AND IF!!! HOPE YOU BOTH HAVE A WONDERFUL, FUN DAY!!! Eva and Meridith...hang in there on the "no restriction" issues. It will come. You will know when you get there. Just be careful not to get too tight. Remember, for some of us it takes awhile for the fill to kick in. I have only had two fills. The first did nothing for me. The second did nothing for me until it kicked in a month later. The band is very fickle. Even when you have adequate fill, there are days here and there that a person is hungry. Not sure why that happens but it does. I can feel perfectly satisfied for a couple of weeks and then I will have a couple of days where I am HUNGRY. I believe most LB ppl would tell you the same thing. (Not saying this to upset you guys....just so you are prepared to be strong on those days you feel more hungry). You know, Meredith, I feel about you as Great does. From the first time you started posting, I thought you were very mature for your age. Sounds to me like you've got your s__t together. Now all you need to do is ride this LB train all the way to the end. You won't believe how good you will feel. You're well on your way, girl! Appt. at 10am to get younger. Color and a cut. Stock up on groceries after that. The ole' farmers are going off in different directions (60 mile radius...helping other farmer) so I just packed them each a cooler this morning. I swear each cooler weighed 15lbs. I get a break...no cooking until they all get back to the farm at 9pm. I think something in the crockpot will fit into my day. Off to do bookwork, shower and off to town. Maybe time for coffee with a couple of friends, buy a new sewer pump (more fun), and home again to get my things together and off to the lake in the morning. It's a tough life...but somebody has to do it! Hope each and every one of you have a great day. I know I will. Life is good!

Julie...I guess my first step would be to make a visit to my doctor. Pain is a signal that there is something wrong. Never hurts to get it checked out. Please take my advice and call your doc's office if you are still hurting in the morning. Take care.

Hey Gotbanded...you've come to the right place if you are in need of support. As Janet said, would be nice to know what you are eating on a daily basis, etc. so that we could see if you need to tweek your diet some. I have to tell you that your schedule sounds a lot like mine. The only advice I can give you on that is to do some major PLANNING with all meals and snacks. I spend a great deal of time in my truck running errands for the farm (sometimes days at a time in truck) and what saved me (even post and pre-op and during weightloss stages) was being prepared. Making sure to eat good, hard proteins that stayed with me longer. Always making sure I got the required amount of protien, good carbs, vitamins taken daily, etc. How about if you fill us in on your typical day and we'll see if we can help you out a bit? Welcome to our group. Hope you hang around and are able to get what you need from this group.

If...good to hear that you are having some restriction with your last fill. Good luck with your new school year....admire you for your work with those special kids. Woohoo! You're coming to FL. Sounds like we will have quite a group. Janet and Great....I know of these rotton days that you speak of. About ten out of the last fourteen days have been like that for me. Not sure how I kept it all together but did. Things have settled down now and my band is back to normal after being tight for 2 weeks. Just one thing after the other but life is peaceful now. (Too long and complicated to explain). Great....STEP AWAY FROM THE FRITOS! They make a great fire starter. That's what we use at the lake for our campfires. A handful makes a beautiful fire. Hope things settle down for both of you soon. So sorry for your troubles

Hey Arlene! So nice to hear DH is doing good. Think of you guys often in going through these two different types of surgery together. Question....on a daily basis...do you find that things are now easier for you because DH is also on a similar ride?:thumbup: Are you considering the FL meet???????? Hope so!

Great does NOT sound stuck up. We all deserve any kudos we get whether we pat ourselves on the back or someone else does it for us. It was hard work to get to where you are and you deserve the "Great" title!

Just thought I would share a recipe that I made today for my guys. They really liked it and said I should make it again. For you gardeners with extra cukes, it's a great way to use them up. 1 large cuke chopped into small peices. (I use the burpless kind...less moisture and just plain love them) 1/2 cup minced onion 1 cup diced chicken 1/2 cup chunky salsa 1/2 cup diced green pepper 1 tsp. Slenda 1/4 cup FF sourcream 1/4 cup FF mayo 1/2 tsp course ground pepper 1/2 tsp hot sauce I used spinach flavored wraps for the guys (I do not tolarate them). I ate mine on Wassa crackers. Can wrap in lettuce leaves also.

Whew.................how the heck will I ever catch up with you all. Got home from up north about an hour ago and have been reading ever since. First off...Phyll...hope you are doing great with your new knee. I know the recovery is not an easy one and lots of PT ahead of you. All the work will be worth it. You'll be running to the pool next winter to do your exercize routines. Let us know how you are doing when you feel up to it. Take care and how about FL this next Feb? Will you be able to swing it??????? Meredith....enjoy your time off of school. Really admire you for all you do. Sorry to hear your sis is moving so far away. We are lucky with the the tech support that allows us to stay in contact on a daily basis. DS (26) has always lived half way across country (and Alaska for 2 yrs) and moved when he was just a few days after turning 18. Love that he is doing what he wants and not living in my basement! Miss him a lot sometimes though. Happy to hear that you will make the FL get-together. Cannot wait to meet all of you guys. (Breath, Apples, Breath). Hope you got right back on the horse after feeling like you lost control. Crap happens and the sooner you show yourself you can get back to where you want to be with eating, the better. I don't like the feeling of ice cream in my stomach either. Not sure why...didn't bother me b/4 LB. I did switch to soy milk also. Happy that your fill went well. Knew it would. Now you can relax and then figure out when you need your next one. Julie....HAPPY BANDIVERSARY...sorry I missed the day of. Sorry to hear of both DD and your fender benders. Always a hassle to do without vehicles when they are getting repaired. Worked ins. for many, many years and am a huge believer in rental coverage on a policy. Not sure of ND laws but DD should be able to get a rental vehicle paid by person at fault. Something to keep in mind. Not going to try to talk you into making a decision about FL but just want you to know that you being there would mean a lot. Only you know what you can handle. Just hope you really consider it and we will make DH feel welcome if he comes with. As to your ? about me flying out of MPLS. We are leaving for FL mid-Jan and staying through Mid-March. (A week on each end reserved for DS in Atlanta). Otherwise, I would have been more than happy to travel with you. Happy your fill was not a problem. Hope this provides some more restriction for you. Janet...one more title to add to your list of talents...EMT?????? Good going on the kitty CPR! And......so happy you are doing the FL trip. Pres weekend is a great suggestion. Good going on the gym when you really didn't want to do it. I wish I did not live 15 miles from a gym. Would love at least 3 days a week. I just do my little workouts at home. Weights, walking, etc. And, BTW....I LOVE to shop. But, closets are full and in need of nothing at this point. I am a bargain shopper and have found some reallly nice clothes for a lot less $$$$$$$$ just by doing outlet shops, etc. I am pretty well set for winter also. Got some end of season bargains last spring. I always try to steer away from "trendy" items. I get a lot of use out of my clothes for many years by buying clothes that are fairly basic to mix and match with things already in the closet. I WILL admit to being a clothes horse and love certain designers. Laura....love the house idea and I would certainly not be offended to be asked to cook for you girls. Once we get some ideas on where people want to meet (city, etc.) we can start working on accomodations. I will go with whatever all of the rest of you want as far as location. So get talking, girls! Happy to hear that your Dad is , again, making his way back. Sorry to hear he had to have another invasive procedure but sometimes that's what it takes to get on the road to figuring on what is wrong. Hope Nelson has a happy time at school. I know that my boys always loved getting back into the routine again, and, it's good for them to have that interaction with others. Nothing wrong with keeping him in the same school again this year. Not only do you need to look at age, you need to look at his emotional maturity to make sure he is ready for that step. Every child hits those levels not necessarily at the same age. I know my two boys were totally different in that respect. Just wanted to let you know that I suppose I could fake being a nurse practitioner for a long weekend! LOL Linda....welcome back and happy to hear you had a good trip. Also, excited you will be making the FL meeting. Cannot wait to meet all of you guys. Good going on the surprise you gave your sis at the airport. Congrats on maintaining weight on your trip. So sorry to hear that your friend is now in hospice. Hard to let go. Also...good going on getting changed to a "regular" work schedule. Hey IF....so nice of you to say what you did about missing me when I'm not here. Great new avatar and congrats on your half way success! Hopefully, that second fill will do what it needs to do for you. Are you considering the FL meeting??????? Can't remember if you posted about it or not. Hope you can make it. Great............Darn it all!!!! You cannot make the FL trip. But, understand your reasons why. Will keep my fingers crossed that you will be able to swing it and make it there. If not, maybe our next meet should be in CO during the summer. Rent a cabin, have campfires, etc. Bears??? Not invited. Good to hear you had a nice camping trip with the kids. I love it when my kids are able to make it for a weekend at the lake. Doodlebug....hope your shingles clear up soon. I had them a couple of years ago and they are nooooooooooooo fun. Eva....Yeah...you're coming to FL!!! Congrats on the scale moving in the downward direction also. 1-Day Yeah....you're coming to FL!!!!!! OK...I know I left ppl out but not intentionally. Just sooooooooooooo much to catch up with. Let's get a definate list in the next couple of weeks on who can make the FL trip so that Laura and I can get to work on it. OK with you, Laura?????? Gotta get to work...might get fired. Hummmm...not a bad thought!

OK...out of here until Monday. Will catch up on the FL thing when I get back. You all have a safe weekend! oxoxo

Laura...I am fine with Orlando area. Might make it easier for those flying in and the flights would be cheaper also. Any ideas from anyone else are welcome. Please, please...each and every one of you....say you will come! Good news on your dad, Laura. Hope the #'s keep going in the right direction. Tilapia (sp?), sweet corn fresh out of the field (:crying:makes my stoma spasm), homemade whole wheat english muffin bread and watermelon on the table tonight. Oh yeah...cherry cobbler.

All Right, If! I am thinking that we would get more of a crowd if we did the weekend thing. Cannot wait to meet you!!!!!!:biggrin:

OMG, OMG, OMG....Janet can make it to FL in Feb. Now, who else is going to jump in?????????? As soon as we can get more stating they can make it, Laura and I will start taking suggestions as far as dates, etc. and start looking for a location that will work. (Breath, Apples, breath!). Janet...thanks for responding on the watermelon. I just worry sometimes (even though I am not tight) when I can eat more than the 1.5 cups that I will expand my pouch. I guess I am far enough out that I shouldn't doubt myself and should trust my "full" feeling.

I would happily help to organize, Laura. Some of us have talked about this so often and think it's time to get together with the people who can make it. Not sure if I am interested in the Disney thing (been there way too many times) but could certainly work around it. Let's see how many are interested and go from there. (Hyperventilating....so excited)!

I'm going to put this out there as long as I am thinking of it. We have all talked about trying to get together at some point. We talked Vegas but have not heard anything at all about the conference out there. Have sent Coach Cheryl a couple of messages but have not recieved a reply so I take that as it is not happening. How about a meet in FL in Feb? This gives everyone time to plan.