MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

macatacmv

marl, I just got one of those page a day calendars titled "Don't sweat the small stuff" but it doesn't start until next year

thanks for the hugs!

I went to my local BC support group meeting last night. It was a cookie swap party. We laughed, we cried, we ate cookies! What more could one want?

Furfriend2

Macat,

That sounds great....I am ALL in for the cookies!!!! A little humor.  I did not do the support group thing as the timing was not good for me.  Guess what ? You ladies ARE part of my support system.  I am so grateful you are here running through the trenches with me. 

macatacmv

let's start "eating" cookies

macatacmv

the ones on the left, Isabelle called nipple cookies, but she could not find dark enough pink kisses. 

Momine

We are making "pepper nuts" and melomakarona, as I type.

Furfriend2

Love the eye candy-WOW the cookies/sweet treats look soo yummy!  I love COOKIES  I am the C@@KIE Monster

wyo

In the words of Guy Fieri- those cookies are off the chain! I wanted to bit my computer screen.  Yum

barsco1963

Mmmmmmmmm - drooling over all of the treats above. I have taken to baking lately, cookies, squares, breads, pies. Freezer is getting full - however, DH and DS are onto me and go digging when they have a craving. Which is ok - that's what they are for right?

Hope everyone gets their fair share of goodies throughout the holidays!

elimar86861

Hello Middie Gang!  Did anyone miss me?  I took a mysterious leave of absence last week, although the pic at the top of the page was a clue.  I took a last minute super deal on yet another cruise.  I think I am a designated cruise-a-holic now.  Actually, this was an early fullfillment of a promise to my younger son (made after I took the older one to Alaska.)  A couple reasons to do it early (before his May graduation) was I wanted to do it while "cancer-free" and who wouldn't rather go to the Caribbean in mid-Winter?  (Plus, we all know that if I went down there with the sun rays any stronger, I'd come back with a melanoma.  I am just too good at growing cancer!)

A few years ago, before I ever went on a single cruise, I wrote a whole novella (in this thread, April, a few years back) about a fantasy cruise.  It was based on one that another member was about to take.  Well, that's the one I went on.  It was to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel.  Strangely, the account was not that far off, so I am not going to write a lengthy tale of this cruise, but I promise to write a quick little post later.

Now I am going to read back an see what you all have been up to.

Momine

Elimar, good for you. Carpe diem!

luvmygoats

Elimar - missed you but thought you were just busy feeling better (yes!) and getting ready for the holidays. Yay for the cruise. I didn't realize you had 2 sons.

elimar86861

Chacha, Is that your hearth? Wow! I love it. So
classic and dainty. Much nicer than the gargantuan angled brick thing I
have in one corner, that makes furniture arrangement a logistical
problem. That is some major surgery you have gone through. Fifty per
cent of a pancreas still gives you something to work with. That was
great news that they took less than expected. I hope the healing
process is well underway and that you will not have too much soreness as
we go into the holiday week.

wyo, Seems you were on the same wavelength I was on taking a sunny getaway. Now where's that pic?

Welcome, BellaMomma! Good Luck as you near the finish line for your chemo. What surgery are you having in Feb.? Reconstruction?

Val, Sorry that is going on with your SIL. Why don't the docs know? If it is a series of strokes, could SIL improve over time?

mac, That kind of freaks me out. We just kind of think we would know when it comes time,
but I guess that is not true for everyone. Like you can feel bad, but
not know it is THAT BAD. Shocking! They say even while unresponsive, a
person can hear so I think the singing did comfort your friend and she did have a feeling of everyone being around her. You have my sympathy.  On a lighter note, that plate of homemade cookies is making my mouth water, while also giving me a strong desire to pick that gingerbread man's raisin eyes out and eat them first.  Then, I'd start on the chocolate chip ones.

Momine,  I make melomakarona too, but only made them once for Xmas.  They are a family favorite that I do at Easter time.

All of you made me remember getting to open up my Christmas stocking first (giving mom a few more moments of sleep, no doubt.)  I did get an orange or apple a few times and some nuts (although we always had a big bowl of them at the holidays.)  I remember getting Fruit Stripe gum in there, along with typical trinkets, like a superball or those animals that were held together by strings and when you depressed the button on the bottom the animal collapsed then could spring back together or those other animals that had a string with a weighted ball on the end of it that you hung off the table so the animal could "walk."  Good times!  I never put fruit in my own kids stockings, but have put snack bags of seeds or nuts or trail mix in there.  Candy, yes, and quite often a new toothbrush as well, even after they outgrew the character kind.  For years I put in those chocolate "coins of the world" (geld) in the net bag and didn't even realize I had created a tradition.  You should have heard how "Santa" got dissed the year he failed to procure those.  Our family always had the sequence of opening gifts, at least the Santa ones but maybe all if we felt like it, then eating breakfast (maybe something from the oven that had been baking while we were busy with gifts,) and finally opening the stockings.  Like most kids, mine did not want the opening of presents to end, so having the "encore" of the stockings after breakfast was the perfect come-down from the wrapping paper frenzy.  Now, both say stockings are a favorite part of the day.  

It is interesting how families have their own patterns and traditions of doing things.

lovewins

I missed you!

I remember my Mom always bought different wrapping paper for the stockings and it was always a small print...she said cuz the elves were small!  Stockings were always my favorite but it has gotton so expensive to do 10 of them plus gifts.  The fun this is to do them all year long...

marlegal

welcome back Eli...was afraid to ask where you were!

Looking forward to 3 days away from the office, then 1 in then 2 off and another short week next week. Lots of grandson higs to be had!

Thanks for the stocking references...I still need to get scratch off lottery tix for ours! The kids (34 and 35) always loved that part of the morning best! Their spouses thought it was odd at first, but they got hooked by the 2nd year

lovewins

We do lottery tickets too...100 was are biggest winner!

barsco1963

Eli - my sister had a tradition of Christmas Eve pj's for her boys as they were growing up. She definitely heard the "dissing" of Santa a couple of years ago when she deemed them to have outgrown the tradition. Happy to report that the boys no longer have to protest in their boxer shorts. lol

barsco1963

Wishing all of the middies a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! You gals are fantastic and I am very happy to have "met" you all. May you all be able to enjoy a pain free, stress free season with those you love. xo

staynsane

I echo what Barsco said!  You ladies have become a very important part of my morning routine, when I can check in.

And Eli- of course you were missed, as all of the "regulars" that have been MIA the last few weeks have been.  We can only hope that life and holiday activities have diverted their attention and that they will post again in the new year.  May 2014 bring only good things to each and every one of us!

staynsane

By the way Eli, I just have to mention that the parade of Santas is just WRONG!  Everyone knows there's only one REAL Santa, and to carbon copy his appearance may help move products commercially, (and I assume they all dispersed to various stores) but no child should see the picture posted at the top!

elimar86861

Brief recap of my Caribbean Cruise:

Once again, sailed Norwegian.  Just come to expect good quality there.  First two days we were at sea, so mostly enjoying the food and ship activities.  Then, Jamaica.  There is a big tourist beach that many of the ship people get herded to, but I had found out about another and we tried for that one.  Unfortunately, it was closed for a private event so back to the tourist beach.  It was crowded, but still a very lovely sand beach, with some isolated coral cropping up once you got into the water so there were a few fish to see while snorkeling.  It was a cloudy day, which cut down on the sunburn potential but made the underwater sights less colorful.  Since it was a "beach club," there was a band playing part of the time.  Next day, Grand Cayman.  Finally opted for a small boat snorkeling excursion called, "Reef and Wreck."  Many of these water excursions are in the same area of coast that the ships sail into, so we were in sight of the pier and our ship the whole time but did get to see an underwater shipwreck from 1949 and some deeper coral reefs with quite a few fish.  Still on the cloudy side and the water was slightly silty from boat traffic.  By this day, my ankle muscles were feeling the effects of wearing the flippers however, at the rate I was eating I definitely needed an activity that would burn some calories.  The final port was Cozumel.  Now, I love and hate snorkeling here.  Hate, because their natural coral reef was ruined by a hurricane and it will take many years to come back.  They put out some fish pots to simulate a reef, but when I was there in Feb. there were hardly any fish.  Love, because I know exactly where to go to snorkel.  There are paid shore excursions and small boat excursions going here for $29.99 and higher, but I get in from shore for zero, zip, nada.  This time, although still quite bare of coral, there were a good number of fish and it was a sunny day allowing the light to penetrate the water and bring out the colors of the fish.  The pic below is Cozumel, with the Jewel in the background.  The telephoto makes it look closer than it was.  It was out a ways and we used tender boats to get to shore (which you can see one of, along with the docking thingy for the boats on the bottom of the ship there.)

I couldn't tell you about shopping.  That's not my thing.  Meanwhile on the ship, we saw lots of good shows (comic/magician, ventriloquist, stand-up comic, Cirque-type extravaganza show) plus played some trivia and shuffleboard; besides eat, eat, eat.  If you envied me last time for not gaining a pound, then you can once again get out your envy because I weighed in the same when I got back.  And this is after I had five desserts at the late night chocolate buffet.  I really don't even know how that is possible.

Well, I have now cruised once with every family member.  All have enjoyed it too.  Don't have any more on my event horizon at this time.  They aren't cheap, but considering all that you can cram into a weeks time, they a fabulous value, especially if you get a last minute deal online and can drive to the departure port city like I did. 

Going to give cruising two-thumbs up.   

Loral

Eli I missed you, wondered where you were, glad it was a fun and exciting absence from this board.

I too want to echo Barsco. All of you have been a joy to know and I wish each and everyone of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and Pain Free New Year!!!!!!!!!!

Peace, Loral.

Momine

We just finished Christmas dinner an hour ago (we celebrate on Christmas Eve, germano-scandi style). I have to say that when you are all anti-cancer good most of the time, it is especially great to pig out on meat and sweets accompanied by nice wine. 

macatacmv

merry, merry, merry day, everyone!!!!!

yes, momine, a vacation from the diet!

oh yes, we missed you eli, glad you had some fun in the sun. 

Eph3_12

Merry Christmas Middies.  I am traveling north tomorrow so will be off line for a couple days.  Hope everyone has an awesome celebration & plenty of eats & treats! Ho Ho HO!

Loral

NativeMainer

Yeah, Elimar, sounds
like a great vaca!

Merry Christmas, Middies! 

macatacmv

just relaxing before the cooking and eating!

NativeMainer

LOVE the slippers! 

elimar86861

You know your kids are grown when YOU are the first one up on Christmas day.  It's been like that for a few years now, but I am still not used to it.  I used to have to tell them no opening gifts until daylight.  If they were up sooner, they could LOOK but not touch what was under the tree.  This tactic usually bought me an extra one half to one hour of sleep on Christmas morning.  Yesterday, we had to rouse the final kid out of bed at 10:00.  My how times have changed.

This year, one gift I got was 8lb. hand weights, graduating up from 5 lb. ones that were next to impossible just this past summer.  Boy, do I like those signs that I continue to improve.  

Glad to hear (and see!) that many Middies were able to have a joyous day
with family. Last year, I was doing badly (in the middle of treatment)
and I remember that I was given a few days off during Christmas week.
Just having those few days off made all the difference to whether my
holidays were entirely ruined or not, so I hope everyone is enjoying the break of no doctors.

luvmygoats

OMG Elimar I have enough trouble with 1# weights though I do have 3# (well DH's really). You must have some shoulder muscles. Been eating your Popeye spinach??

We had way too much food for 3 of us but plenty of leftovers so sent frozen stuff home with DD. Had chicken tetrazzini Christmas Eve combo of a couple of recipes. Overnight eggnog French toast Christmas morning. About 2 pm had turkey breast, ambrosia both made from scratch. Then bought dressing, mac/cheese, gravy and really good cranberry relish. Right mix of easy. The Butterball breast was just perfect and I will buy that again next year. Albertsons had a buy 1/get 1 so they ended up $1.50/lb. Not bad. Froze carcass and other nasty bits to make stock. It was a good day. DD and DH had lots of time together which they do not get so much. I get more cause I go over there some. She left about 4 and house is very quiet today. Both had to work today but DH may get off early; I think he's over some hours from earlier in week.

I hope everyone's Christmas celebration was joyous. Wishing good health to all us middies (some of us a bit beyondmiddie). Off to make chocolate pudding with the heavy cream that is about to expire though we may expire from cholesterol overload. Dessert is the one thing I did not make or buy - well if you do not count boxes of biscotti from the market. The only good thing about them is they take a bit to eat and they don't go bad quickly.