What's on your Saturday menu?

Good morning all!

I want to say thank you for the replies to my post on yesterday's menu topic. I was able to talk to the pain clinic and they put me back on Tylenol 4s and I slept much better. I see them next week so we'll see what the next step may be. With still appealing social security stuff I will have a lapse in coverage. I feel so stressed out. But...I'm not giving in. I had a feel sorry for myself kind of day yesterday and it's time to move on from that.

My city now has two mobile morgue units due to Covid-19. Our city has a lack of good leadership. They just held a rodeo type event here and people were photographed not wearing mask and not socially distancing. Our city "leaders" say it's up to the governor to shutdown. In the past 2 days 20+ people died here. Just so damned disgusting.

We will finish putting up some Christmas stuff. Our tree has actually survived so far with no chewing of the lights. Hope it stays that way! lol

qotd: what is your favorite holiday(Christmas or Thanksgiving) memories?

mine is cooking the meals with my grandpa helping... I miss my grandparents fiercely!

b: oatmeal with coffee

l: hamburger soup or chili

d: likely soup again or chili..whatever we make

s: popcorn, coffee and maybe some fruit.

good day to everyone!

Morning! It's a chilly morning here and my husband and daughter headed out to fish. I'm planning on reading my book today and I also need to run to Durham to pick up a curbside Christmas gift.

QOTD: My mother made our Christmas's amazing. There was always a lot of gifts (but much of them were just little things, probably what most people would consider stocking stuffers) and they were all wrapped, even our stocking stuffers. She created so much excitement about it and we would spend half the day taking turns opening gifts. I've tried to replicate the experience for kids as well.

My Food:

• Coffee w/ cream x3
• Egg, Sweet Potato, Bacon, Sour Cream
• I have leftovers to finish up, homemade pizza and also garlic broccoli that I got from Chinese take out last night.

Good morning Melody! I'm glad you were able to get some sleep. That cat meme cracked me up.

Yesterday was a great beach day and today seems to be more of the same. Tomorrow we drive to my place to stay for 8 days until youngest DD arrives for Thanksgiving week. I am going to decorate for Christmas there this week because I really want to have the lights up.

QOTD: My favorite memory of Christmas day is sitting in the kitchen of the home we lived in for 20 years at the island with eldest DD. I so miss her smile and her laugh! The image of her coming into the kitchen and sitting there chatting with everyone is always in my mind.

TSS: 4 years, 7.5 months

Repeat of yesterday:

B: Coffee!!! Steel cut oats with PB2

L: chicken salad made with non-fat yogurt and cottage cheese

D: out - fish?

S: cheesecake/strawberry yogurt pie

Mornin' All!

I was originally planning to go bike riding this afternoon, but now they're saying it won't be as warm as originally predicted, plus there's a good chance of rain to boot, so....no. Guess it's back to doing Zumba videos in my basement for the next couple of days. Luckily we're supposed to have some 40+ degree days next week, so I should be able to get some biking in.

no plans at all for today - I don't even need to go to the grocery store. Not sure what to do - maybe some work on my organizations - or reading for classes (??). Wow - not having any sort of structure is a bit unnerving for me.

QOTD: there's not one memory in particular, but I'll always remember spending Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house in Cleveland. My aunts, uncles, and cousins were always there, too. Then we'd all go home and spend Christmas morning with our respective immediate families. I loved those Christmas Eve get-togethers, though.

TSS: 5y5m

B: piece of cheesecake-flavored yogurt pie with blueberry compote, coffee with half & half

MS: pumpkin Fit Frappe

L: chicken sausage with the last couple tablespoons of sweet potato casserole (or maybe just a small sweet potato with butter and brown "sugar" Swerve - I'm totally addicted to these at the moment...)

AS: protein pudding or L&F with raspberries

D: leftover chicken breast with tomato/herb sauce

have a great day, everyone!!

good morning! I'm up after a cruddy night's sleep, but through a warm shower and ready to face the day. Got my "coffee" and a little bit of peppermint creamer. I think my taste buds are coming back a bit. Fingers crossed. Eating is so ugh with out the taste. It's been hard to satisfy myself mentally. Weight is back down this morning, so I have managed to pee out the Vegas pound. I never got to the fridge cleaning out last night, so that is happening as soon as I hit send on this. Then I've got to hit the grocery store and also pick up a spring form pan so I can try out Teenie's cheesecake. I've got tiny ones, but not a full size one. After that, it's back home and I will be by myself! This almost never happens except in the car. The hubs is going to help out my son in law installing solar. I have some crafting to do, for a project, and then a great book to dive back into.

QOTD: Christmas eve, we always would take the kids out to dinner, drive by one of the fancy lit up neighborhoods and then a fairly quick stop at the in laws. My MIL was nothing like all of yours and was a mean and spiteful person so I eventually grew to limiting my exposure to her. Anyway, after an hour there, we'd make the 45 minute drive home. I made hot chocolate and everyone got in pj's. We would open our presents then to each other. One at a time, drink hot chocolate and just be. In the morning, we'd do Santa presents and stocking and then head to my parents house (or eventually everyone to ours) and celebrate the holiday with my family. Like Liz, those memories are oh so precious to me now.

Menu:

B: I think a little turkey chili with an over medium egg on top. Anything turns into breakfast if you put an egg on it.

L: TBD depending on chores, but maybe the rest of the serving of chili

D: Steak for the hubs, chicken thigh for me, baked sweet potato (going to try the swerve brown sugar sprinkling on it, thanks for the idea!) maybe corn.

Peace everyone!

Good morning all! Today I need to get some groceries and do some laundry. Woke up with a pounding headache though which has delayed my day a bit. Accountability was good up until dinner. After my doctors appointment I caved and ordered Chinese from the restaurant right next door. I hadn't had it in so long, but it was so not worth it. Felt so sick after and it's no doubt why I have the headache this morning.....probably from all the sodium! So I won't be doing that again. The taste wasn't even as good as I remembered. Today is a new day though and it's going to be healthy all the way!

QOTD: Definitely Christmas time and spending time with extended family I don't get to see much except for once a year. Every Christmas Eve since before I was born all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents (when they were still living) would get together and have a Christmas Eve feast, exchange gifts, play games and just have a good time of catching up! It's went on every year since I've been alive without fail. So I'm sad this year because we won't be having it due to COVID. It's definitely going to be strange having Christmas Eve with no family around. Breaks my heart.....sigh

B: coffee w/Splenda & sf creamer x 2

B2: protein shake

L: 2 oz low sodium turkey breast & a laughing cow cheese wedge

D: Either oatmeal or sushi

S: L&F Greek yogurt and an apple

A few miles from my house is the National Shrine to Our Lady of Lebanon. Back in 1960, a Lebanese priest was visiting and saw a beautiful piece of land with a For Sale sign on it. He thought it would be a wonderful place for a shrine. He went and knocked on the door of the old farmhouse.

When the lady came to the door, he told her that he was a priest and wanted to buy her land to build a Catholic shrine. The lady said that she did not like Catholics and did not want one of their churches on her property. She refused to sell the land.

The priest waited a few months, saw the property was still for sale and went back to inquire about buying the property once again. The lady repeated that she did not like Catholics and would not sell to one.

The priest did not give up. He tried one more time to get her to sell the land. When she once again told him she did not like Catholics and absolutely would not sell, he told her about the Blessed Mother and said that he was going to pray a novena to ask her to intervene. She did not know what a novena was and did not know about the Blessed Virgin. He went home and called two other Lebanese priests. They started to pray a novena that day.

Before the nine days of the novena had even ended, the lady called the priest. She said tht the lady you told me about is not letting me sleep at night. You can buy the property. Father Eid hurried to the bank and got the money to pay her.

A beautiful shrine was built. It included a small chapel with one wall completely made of glass. The first Christmas Eve after it was completed, we went there for midnight Mass. Looking out the window we saw snow and dense darkness. Then the lights outside turned on. There was a beautiful life-sized Nativity scene. It has real lambs, a donkey, the shining star, and a chorus of angels in the background. It was the most beautiful Christmas Eve I ever experienced.