I took my youngest niece to see Footloose last night. It was really good. She liked it and now wants to see the original. I had it on VHS for years, but she didn't care to watch it then. The oldest niece was the one who liked musicals. This was pretty close to the original, but I think I like the original just a hair more. Spent $15

We went to Applebee's for supper. They gave us a card and said if we liked them on Facebook we could get 15% off the bill. She used her cellphone to do that and we saved $3. Spent $21.24

I paid using my Discover card which is giving 5% back on restaraunts and movies this quarter.

She was in a talkative mood and I learned alot about her life for a change. It was nice. Sometimes she's not interested in talking to grownups and you can't get 2 words out of her.

I was looking at the Target ad and I saw they have Halloween costumes for dogs at $15. I just cannot fathom buying a costume for an animal, blows my mind.

I finished reading the library book Jace by Sarah McCarty. Paranormal - very good.

I've only had pumpkin from cans before. Yesterday I bought a baby pumpking for .50 and decided to roast it. I washed the skin very well and cut it into bite size pieces. I seasoned it with olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon and roasted it at 425 for 25 minutes. It was very good. I had it with salmon and a spinach/romaine salad with tomato and onion and a vinegrette dressing.

I'll definitly try this again. I think I'll try cutting the pumpking a freezing some and see if that will work for the months when baby pumpkins aren't in the store.

I went to the Dr this morning with my blood pressure readings and she agreed I can go off of all of the meds. After I get results of the blood tests today I may be able to go off the glipizide too. I wanted several tests and she was very happy to order them for me. They took 5 large vials and 2 small vials of blood. I was fasting since I figured they would. I should get results next week - looking forward to seeing where I'm at. Hoping for improvement in several areas.

I finished reading the library book City of Jade by Dennis L. McKiernan. Sci/Fi - good.

ytd = April 1 2011 - March 31, 2012
Coupon total ytd = 1,158.36
RX total = 256.32
Discounted Gift Cards = 207.19
Total = 1,621.87

I'm having to use my laptop to post now and I have a real hard time with fat-fingers on the keypad, so I may have more typos than usual. It's why I prefer a desktop for any writing tasks.

Cute is the latest word my youngest niece uses to describe old people and things they do or say. Babies are cute, puppies are cute, calling old people cute is basically dismissing them as not worth taking anything they say seriously. It gets annoying after awhile, when I hear her say - "Grandma's so cute, when she does/saya ..." I'm sure I'm being lumped into the cute stage, if not now, then soon.

When I was a kid I used to read almost all the Sunday comics in the paper. Now I only read a couple, I find most of them to be dumb and not even close to funny - another sign of old age? I always read Dilbert and Rose is Rose. I think Rose is Rose is really cute in the sweet sense of the word

Safeway sent out some really good coupons in the mail this week for free salsa, rice, marinade, and salad dressing. Plus a $4 off 4 lbs of frozen chicken breasts and $10/$50 coupon. Used them all this morning. The $10 off paid for all my produce. I'll donate the rice, dressing and marinade.

I finished reading the library book Wild Instincts by Sarah McCarty. Paranormal - very good.

Mom and I went to the local craft fair this morning. It was wall-to-wall people, which I hate, but she needed someone to go with her, so I did. She does stuff for me all the time that she probably doesn't care that much for either. There was some interesting items, when you were able to squeeze thru and actually look at something I got mom a bday gift. A xmas flower arrangement that lights up - $45. She got 3 xmas gifts, some homemade jam and some chocolate/orange almonds.

I finished reading the library book Tiassa by Steven Brust. Sci/Fi - ok.

I've been putting off getting a haircut hoping Great Clips would come out with a coupon. They finally did in Tuesday's mail, so my haircut was $6.99 and I spent $9 with tip.

I've been looking for brazil nuts to buy and finally found some at Walmart. 1 lb for $8 I roasted them at 200 degrees for 40 min today. Pretty good. Plus one of the best sources of selenium. I eat one a day.

I read on Money Saving Mom can get a free 1 year subscription to Kiplinger's here

As part of her blood clots mom was tested for sleep apnea recently and they found she quits breathing more that 2 hours every night. So she had to get oxygen yesterday. She slept with it last night, but didn't get a lot of sleep. She needs to get used to noise of the machine and the feel of the tubes.

My sister is out of town and my youngest niece was supposed to spend Sunday night with her father. They got into an argument and he told her she was a waste of air and he didn't want to see her again. How cruel! Even if he apologizes, she will never forget he said that to her. She's 17 and she called her mom crying and said she didn't want to stay with him overnight, so she stayed home by herself. She's more than old enough to do that, just not very reliable, so sister prefers to have her stay with someone. Mom offered, but niece wanted to stay by herself.

So last night parents and I took her to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Sister's was supposed to be home late last night. Mom, dad and I all ordered 6 oz sirloin medium well. Dad's and mine were closer to medium rare, so we waited and waited and waited for someone to come back and ask how the steaks were. By the time they did and we told them they were undercooked everyone else was done eating. So we just said we would take them home and cook them ourselves. They ended up giving us both steaks for free. So I just paid the tip and will have steak with green beans and mushrooms for dinner tonight. They are usually pretty good, we haven't had bad steaks in a long time there.

I finished reading the library book Jared by Sarah McCarty. Paranormal - very good.

ytd = April 1 2011 - March 31, 2012
Coupon total ytd = 1,117.02
RX total = 256.32
Discounted Gift Cards = 207.19
Total = 1,580.53

It was raining this morning so I met mom at Walmart to walk. Stopped at Staples first and got 2 16 ct packages of Duracell AA batteries and one blue ink cartridge. Spent $20.21 using my 8% discounted gift card and will get $19.98 back in a rebate check on the batteries and $2 when I return the ink cartridge.

I used 2 .50 coupons on the batteries and I had a $10 staples reward coupon for returning 5 ink cartridges last month and a $5 off of $25 Staples coupon that I printed out. I will donate one of the packs of batteries to Toys for Tots for xmas and keep the other.

At Walmart I picked up my new glasses, I like them. I spent $4.44 and got unseasoned rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, 4 packages of Covergirl makeup sponges, 2 Swiffer duster starter kits, with 5 refills and 2 Swiffer 10 ct duster refills.

I had 2 $8/2 coupons for the Covergirl products. They were $2.94 each which gave me $2.12 in overage. I had 2 $1 off Swiffer starter kits and 2 free Swiffer refill coupons when you buy a starter kit. I'll donate all the sponges, but I love Swiffers and they are usually pretty expensive so that was a good deal. I have one more of those coupons to use.

I had planned to go to King Soopers also and get some produce, but didn't remember until I was pulling into the garage Ah well, I'll go tomorrow.

I finished reading the library book Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl. Paranormal - ok

I made this yesterday and it's not bad. I serve it with whipped cream on top. I wasn't that fond of the texture, it's kind of like oatmeal and was hoping it would be more like pumpkin pie.

1 tsp butter
1 15 oz can pumpking - not pumpkin pie mix
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
2/3 cup granular Splenda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
pinch numeg
1 tsp ginger

Grease slow cooker with butter
In large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour into slow cooker crock pot, cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
Transfer crock to refrigerator and let cool
Makes 6 servings, top with whip cream

I'm still working on my PC issues. Fortunately I have the backup laptop. I believe the issue is with the updated IE that I installed.

I finished reading the library book Hexed. Paranormal short stories - excellent

Thanks for the virus software suggestions. I spent several hours yesterday and today uninstalling the old software and installing superAntiSpyware, AVG virus protection and malewarebytes on both my PC and laptop. Most things are working but I can't get my hotmail email account on IE on my PC - works on the laptop. The screen is just blank, no error message to debug. I can get email on foxfire, but can't send any messages. Also can't post on this site on my PC - hope it works when I do it on my laptop.

Now I need another recommendation. I'm thinking about asking for an MP3 player for xmas. I know nothing about these, but I thought it might be nice to have one to play audible books and podcasts when I have to walk by myself.

I finished reading the library book Dream Called Time by S. L. Viehl. Sci/Fi - very good.

The anti-virus software I purchased last year is going to expire next week. Does anyone know of a good free one to download?

I saw tons of kids out playing today on my walk. Not sure why school is out since we just had Columbus day. But it was a perfect day to be outside, sunny, light breeze and about 66 degrees.

I just read that peanut butter prices are going to go up 20 - 40% this year because the peanut crop wasn't good. I'll have to buy a couple jars next time I go to the grocery store.

I finished reading the library book Master of Shadows by Angela Knight. Paranormal - very good.

The meat supplier for grass fed buffalo and beef that I got ground beef from this summer at the farmer's market has restocked. They were located in my town yesterday afternoon so I stocked up with 20 lbs of grass fed ground beef at $4.50/lb. That's an excellent price for grass-fed beef. Spent $90.68

My blood sugar monitor has been reading high for the last week or so for no reason I can figure out, so I bought a new Walmart brand one this morning for @ $9. 50 test strips were only $20. That's an excellent price on the test strips. The new meter reads 10 points lower when compared to the old one, which is much better. I read somewhere that the Walmart brand monitors tested the best in the labs for accuracy.

I finished reading the library book When Gods Die by C. S. Harris. Mystery - pretty good.

paid my yearly home insurance today $147. It's basically renters insurance since the HOA pays for the townhome structure insurance.

Mailed 2 books for paperback swap. Spent $4.80. I'm over 20 swaps now.

I got 2 free Quest protein bars in the mail. Tried one and it's too dense for my taste.

Went to the library and picked up 3 more holds. I've had so many library books come in lately that that's all I've been reading. Haven't read any of my own books for quite awhile. I'm finally starting to catch up, maybe by the end of this week I'll be able to read one of my own.

Finished reading the library book Quicksilver by Amanda Quick. Romance - very good.

My sister and I drove up to see my niece yesterday. They confronted the roommate and she yelled and screamed and said they were all horrible people, but then agreed to move if they would give her money. They agreed just to get the argument over and then talked to the landlord. The landlord is supposed to give her eviction papers today and she has till the 28th to move out.

The landlord also put deadbolts on each girls room, so they are all hiding all their stuff in their rooms. My niece has all the dishes and knives in her room. Makes it hard to have meals.

She was tired and worn out from all the drama, but looked amazing. She has the knack of taking all kinds of clothes and combining them in a way that looks different, but fantastic. I would never come up with the combinations she does. It doesn't hurt that she has a perfect figure. Her hair is bright red right now. Both of my nieces go thru tons of color changes on their hair.

We took her to Red Robin and then walked around the mall for an hour and my sister wanted to leave. I couldn't believe it. What's the point of driving two hours up and two hours back to just spend two hours with her? Didn't make sense to me.

I recieved a newsletter from the homeowners assn and they say if the town I live in goes ahead with a planned water increase, it could cost each homeowner more that $400/month. I think/hope their math is wrong. I did the math and think it's closer to $40/month, either way it's a big increase but I could definitly deal with $40/month better than $400/month - especially for water. $40/month would be almost $500/year for water. I can only wait and see what the final result is.

Water's a big issue in Colorado and we have lots of areas where they've built too much and are having a hard time supplying the new homes. I've been here 11 years this year and when I moved here there was plenty for years, but since then they've builts 1000's of homes and commercial businesses so it's no wonder they are running out.

They also sent a letter saying you now had to have a parking permit to park in front of the units. Apparently they sent one for free in 2005, but since I park in my garage I threw it away. Now all your visitors have to have a permit too, so I need to get one for parents and friends when they come. $25 but it's forever I don't have to renew it every year. Too bad I threw the other one away, but who knew they would change the parking rules 6 years later

I finished reading the library book Caleb by Sarah McCarty. Paranormal - very good. Also finished the library book The Council of Shadows by S.M. Stirling. Paranormal - also very good.

we're getting our first snow storm of the season. Big, fat, fluffy snowflakes and very, very wet. We've got about 2" accumulation right now, but the ground has been so warm I'm sure much more fell and has been absorbed in the ground. It's a perfect day to curl up with a book and a throw.

Went to Rosie's for dinner last night and spent $11.05.

Talked to oldest niece for a while last night. She's having major roomate issues. That was the first luxury I bought for myself, living on my own and paying a large amount of my salary for the privilege of not living with anyone else.

She has 3 roomates and 1 of them is bi-polar. The other 3 went to a judge to try to get a restraining order on her, but he said no. I guess they were going to tell her to move out last night, haven't heard the results yet. The landlady came in and changed all the locks yesterday.

The bi-polar girl put Nair in one of the girls shampoos. Fortunately she figured it out before using it. She has a huge afro, lots of hair. That would have been a very mean trick.

It's lots of stress for all of them on top of school and working and partying , but they don't need the stress.

I finished reading the library book Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Sci/Fi - very good.

I forgot to weigh yesterday morning so did it this morning. I finally lost 10% of my body weight. This was one of my main goals. I've slowed down considerably since the first couple of months, but I have a lot against me. My age (over 50), hugely overweight, menopause, diabetes and no gallbladder to name a few. But all progress is good regardless of how slow.

Went to Walmart and picked out new eyeglasses. They are purple The frames were $25, but including the lenses (bi-focal) I spent $164.

I used the $40 gift card I got for Shell a few months ago, when I cashed in $20 of Discover points. I've been buying gas because I had $1/Gal points and was getting 5% back on my credit card until the end of Sept. Gas was $3.35/gal, so I got just under 12 gallons, but it was free.

I finished reading the library book The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood. Romance - excellent.

I got my eyes checked yesterday - spent $141.00, they are healthy and my prescription only changed a little from a year and a half ago. I'm going to go ahead and get new glasses with the new prescription so I will have a back up pair. I couldn't find my glasses the other day and I thought it would help if I had another pair I could use in case I lost/broke them for good.

I went to the used bookstore with a list of books after the appt and that was a mistake, my pupils were so dialated I couldn't read my list, so only got 2 items and then came home.

This morning I ate my usual breakfast and then about an hour later went for a walk with mom. Same schedule as most mornings. After mom left I went to run some errands. In Walgreens I started feeling really bad, clammy skin, sweating, shaking. I decided not to do any of my other errands and went home - about 1/2 mile away. I decided to check my blood sugar when I got home and it was clear down to 63, so ate something to bring it up. I've had a few times lately where it went down to 69 and didn't feel that bad. This is the first time I've expierenced hypoglycemia. I think I may need to modify my meds. I plan to see my dr, later this month and see where I'm at on my A1c test and maybe get off one more of the meds.

I've been watching a lot of the History series Ancient Aliens on TV. The thing I find the most interesting is all the different spots around the world and the amazing things people have built. While I'm open minded to the theory of ancient aliens I have a problem with some of the conclusions. Mostly I think they take away from the greatness/creativity of humankind. It's alway humans were too stupid to have done something so great, they had to have help. I think that shortchanges us as a species. Also, some of the reasonings are ridiculous. Like someone from another world needed man to create large structures lines on the earth so the aliens could find their way around. I think that if someone could create a spaceship and travel across the universe, they don't need lines on the ground to show them the way to a place on earth! But a very interesting show regardless.

I finished reading 2 more library books Split Second by Catherine Coulter. Mystery - very good. And Hunt the Moom by Karen Chance. Paranormal - ok.

This quarter I lost more than 8% of my networth. It's a good thing I don't have to withdraw any money to live on right now. I will need to take out about $10,000 before the end of the year. I may end up taking it from my short-term bonds since I don't want to sell any of my depressed stocks. But that's what asset allocation is for.

I measured this morning and lost 1" on my hips and 1/2 on my thighs, nothing on my stomach, which is where I really want to lose some. I'll weigh in the morning and hope to see more losses

I finished reading the library book Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Paranormal - very good.

ytd = April 1 2011 - March 31, 2012
Coupon total ytd = 1,052.64
RX total = 256.32
Discounted Gift Cards = 207.19
Total = 1,516.15

I dropped off 6 bags of food at the food pantry yesterday. There was more people in line waiting for food than I've ever seen there before. Things just keep getting worse for people I guess. While I am generally optimistic about the future, sometimes I wonder if this is our new reality, more people who need help, out of work etc. Maybe this is the way it will be going forward and we just don't recognize it now. I hope not.

I got another letter from King Soopers about transferring my prescription so they gave me $5 on my card for returning it. It paid for my produce and eggs this morning. I also got 2 Brut deodorants for free that will be donated to the food pantry.

I finished reading the library book Quinn by Iris Johansen. Mystery - very good. Also finished some sci/fi short stories called Harvest Moon - I only liked the one by Michelle Sagara.

I was so happy this morning to see my fasting blood glucose was 97. Under 100 is considered normal. This is the first time I've been under 100, just 6 months ago it was running over 200 so big improvement. Next goal is to get it around 80 - 85 in the morning.

My shoulder is still hurting this morning, but it's getting better.

Gave mom and dad their anniversary gift today. 2 gift cards for $25. 1 for Subway and 1 for Red Lobster. They eat out a lot and always like restaraunt gift cards.

Mom's struggling with the cumadin and blood clots. She's really tired, her kidney hurts and she's starting to show bad bruising whenever she hits her skin. She thinks she's so tired because they draw blood from her every 3 - 4 days. Their machine to check for the cumadin levels always tests wrong so they draw blood to find the right level. Well if your machine is always wrong and you know that, why don't you fix it?

She's trying to find a dr that will take her as a new patient also. She's on medicare and she spent all Thursday afternoon and Friday morning calling around to find one, no one will take new medicare patients. She finally decided to go to mine, but she doesn't really care for the male dr. I got to the female one and she's ok. It's a husband/wife team.

I finished reading the library book The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card. Sci/Fi - very good.

ytd = April 1 2011 - March 31, 2012
Coupon total ytd = 1,049.64
RX total = 251.32
Discounted Gift Cards = 207.19
Total = 1,508.15

I ran several errands this morning - Walgreens, post office, Natural Grocers, Safeway, King Soopers and Walmart. While driving around I was listening to a CD called 100% Funk. One of the songs was Car Wash and one of the lines was the wash is free if you fill up your tank. I miss those days when I could get free car washes with fill-ups. For a long time they were only $1 with a fill-up. Now you're lucky to find one for $8. Next I'll be longing for nickel candy and talking about waiting for the school bus in 20 degree weather

At Walgreens I got 2 bottles of CoQ10 for $50 - $8 in coupons and by using my AARP card I got a coupon for $5 to use on my next order.

I got 2 bottles of coconut oil at the Natural Grocers. I'll use the virgin oil for cooking ($6.49) and the refined bottle ($5.49), for moisturizer on my face and feet. This works really well for that at night before I go to bed. And last winter it's the first thing I've found that helps with the intense itching I get on my legs from dry skin.

At Safeway I got 3 travel size boxes of Tide for free.

At Walmart I got 4 packages of 12-ct Schick disposable razors and made $4.12 that I used on other purchases. I had 2 $6/2 coupons and each pack was $1.97 - so a moneymaker.

My arm is so sore today. I scrubbed the kitchen floor really well last night and it ached so much last night I couldn't sleep. I took two Aleve and it barely touched it. This morning I took two more and it's finally starting to feel better. Getting old

I'm surprised it wasn't my knees that hurt. They're usually the ones that complain when I do that kind of work.

I finished reading 2 library books Promises Linger and Promises Keep by Sarah McCarty. Romance - both were very good.

I went to the Dentist yesterday to get my teeth cleaned - spent $78. No exam and no x-rays. They really give you fits when you ask to just have your teeth cleaned and not do the extras.

I stopped at Whole Foods to look around afterwards. Man! that stuff is so expensive, it was very discouraging looking around. I went to another new place called Sunflower Farmer's Market and those prices were much more reasonable, but both stores are fairly far away from me so it would be a sometime shopping experience. I need to get most of my foods closer to home.

My oldest niece called last night and talked for almost 3 hours. We talked theory and philosophy and life - my favorite kinds of conversations. She said I'm the only one in her family who she can have those kinds of conversations with because I've read so many different fields over the years and I'm curious about a lot of different things. Most everyone else doesn't think about those subjects in their everyday lives.

Plus I constantly tell her to be herself, alot of other people in the family always tell her to change to fit their idea of what she should be. Her other grandmother constantly asks her who she's dating and when she's going to have kids. She's way to young to make that the focus of her life and it just irritates her to constantly have to say she's not ready for that lifestyle and may never be. I tell her she needs to do what makes her happy and if that's never getting married or having kids - fine. Either way she has a lot of years before she has to decide on kids or marriage and I think it's smart that she recognizes she's not ready yet. So many young kids fall into that lifestyle without being ready.

Anyways I enjoyed the conversation and wish she had time for more. She's swamped with school work this semester.

I finished reading 2 library books Blood Heat by Maria Lima. Paranormal - very good. And Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn. Sci/Fi - very good.

my mom felt like walking for the first time since she got home from the hospital today so I went over to her house. We made the entire 45 min route with no problem so that's good. On the way I was 2 new For Rent signs on houses. Their neighborhood is a higher end neighborhood. Minimum house cost is over 600K and they go up to 1.5 mil. Large houses on wooded 5 acre lots. I've never seen For Rent signs on these kinds of houses before this year. This year I've seen several now and I keep seeing more.

I wonder who rents these places? I would think the rent would be high enough to pay a mortgage on a smaller house, but I don't know for sure.

I finished reading my book Spellweaver by Lynn Kurland. Sci/Fi - excellent.

I finished cleaning out my pantry yesterday so started on appliances today. Right now the washing machine and dishwasher are both going with a cup of vinegar, and the self-cleaning oven is on. Lots of energy being used right now. Later this afternoon I'll actually start cleaning the appliances. The frig/freezer is always the worst part.

I replaced the filter in my furnace today also. I hope I won't have to turn it on for another month at least.

Went to Red Robin last night with parents and youngest niece. She got a free burger for her bday.

We got 4 1/2 inches of rain in two days last week so the wild flowers have gone insane, they are beautiful. I'm walking different routes in the morning since my mom's not able to walk yet and seeing a lot more wild flowers.

I finished reading the library book Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Paranormal - very good.

Before my mom went in the hospital I had started a deep cleaning on my kitchen. I was halfway thru cleaning out all my kitchen cabinets and wiping them down. I finally finished them yesterday after about a week hiatus. Today I'm working on the pantry and hope to finish it. I've done 2 of 5 shelves. If I do finish I'll start on the appliances tommorrow.

My pantry doesn't contain as many things as it used to because of my new low-carb/paleo way of eating. I've gotten rid of most of the processed food items like salad dressing, soups, pasta etc. That makes it easier to clean, but bugs me in a way. I've always been a big believer in having a fully stocked pantry in case of emergencies. It's difficult to stock most meats or fresh produce in order to have several months of supplies. I'm still stockpiling non-food items, but the sense of unease is there for not having a big supply of food to turn to in case of whatever.

I can stockpile green beans, nuts (for a few months), tomatoes, salt, vinegar, oils, spices, splenda, stevia, canned mushrooms, natural peanut butter, tuna and broth.

I finished reading the library book Tracker's Sin by Sarah McCarty. Romance - very good. Also finished The Devil Colony by James Rollins. Adventure - very good.

After 3 days in the hospital, mom was allowed home yesterday. She had 2 blood clots in her lungs and one in her right calf and one behind her left knee. The put her on cumadin for 6 months.

I spent most of the last 3 days in the hospital. My dad can hardly hear and mom is so tired she doesn't remember a lot of what they tell her, so I was there to pay attention to what was going on.

She was extremly happy to make it home yesterday, as is anyone who's spent any amount of time in the hospital.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes

I finished reading my book Wild Thing - Paranormal short stories - very good.

I also finished the library book Cold Vengence by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Mystery - excellent.

Dad called this morning and said mom was in the hospital with blood clots in her lungs. She's been having trouble breathing for a couple days and thought she had asthma. I guess it got so bad last night they went to the hospital first thing this morning.

They put her on blood thinners and I guess plan to keep her for a day or two. My sister and I plan to go in this afternoon and will learn more then.

I got another letter from King Soopers offering me $5 for filling out a prescription survey on why I transfered my prescription. I got that and then got mom and dad some candy bars and a bag of frozen shrimp for me. I was looking for Milky Way caramel bars since that's mom's favorite, but couldn't find them at either Safeway or King Soopers. They used to have them everywhere, maybe they took them out of our market.

I watched Rango last night from Netflix - it was cute.

I finished reading the library book Sam's Creed by Sarah McCarty. Romance - very good.

Last night my parents and I went to my sister's house to celebrate my youngest nieces 17th bday. During the party my dad said "wouldn't you like to be 17 again?"

Not for a million bucks!

I wouldn't want to have to work another 30 years, and the first 8 years of my working life I was fairly poor. I hated living paycheck to paycheck. Always waiting for the next minor problem to push me under. Even getting new tires for the car was a major upset, I had very little extra money then.

At 17 I was still living with my parents and hated that too. So glad to be where I am now and in the situation I'm in now. I earned this by 33 years of working and saving and there's no way I want to do it again.

However, if I could back 20 years and have the same situation I have now, I would take that. Being in your 30's you've grown up enough to be more realistic about life, but can enjoy the extra 20 years of living.

My sister ordered pizza from Borriello Bros, with cake and banana ice cream for dessert. Since I knew that was the plan I took my dinner over and ate it while they ate pizza. I wasn't even tempted by the pizza. Almost 5 months eating this way and I plan to continue for life, so it was nice to not be tempted.

I had roasted chicken breast, coleslaw, and watermelon, with macadamia nuts for dessert.

I finished reading my book The Black Lyon by Jude Devereaux. Romance - very good.

Mom and I drove down to Florence, CO today. It's a very small town, but they have tons of antique stores. It was about an hour and a half drive in foothills, it was a beautiful day around 65 degrees. We spent about 3 hours wandering thru the stores. Saw some beautiful old furniture. I didn't buy anything, just looked.

I fixed zuchinni chips last night. I sliced the zuchinni into chips on a mandolin, then put them on a cookie sheet. Brushed them with melted ghee, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. Cooked at 425 for 10 minutes, turned and cooked for another 5 min. I really liked them. I will make those again.

I finished reading the library book In Fire Forged by David Weber. Sci/Fi - very good.

I really liked the grass-fed beef I had the other day. I seared it on both sided in the frying pan for about 3 min each, then finished it in the oven at 450 for about 12 min, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.

On the side I fixed buttered zuchinni noodles. I cut the zuchinni in strips using a mandolin so they looked like noodles, then I just sauteed them in butter with salt and pepper. Very good. I'm not a zuchinni fan, but I liked these a lot.

I got a lb of oven roasted turkey deli meat today for $5.99. On my way home I thought why is it ok to spend $5.99/lb for turkey deli meat, (and think I'm getting a bargain), but have a problem spending $4.50/lb for grass-fed beef? DOH! Had a small paradigm shift in my car

I finished reading my book The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff. Sci/Fi - very good.

Last summer while doing the $25/week grocery challenge I lost 5 lbs. Then I had my kidney stone and ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks and lost 10 more lbs. After getting out of the hospital I had no energy and no appetite and lost another 5 lbs. Unfortunately after that it was the holiday season and instead of building on that loss I gained back everything I lost by April 1st.

Mid-April I started low-carb/primal/paleo way of eating. I weigh on Sunday and Wednesday and when I got on the scale this morning I saw the Whoosh! fairy had visited me and I had lost 2 lbs since Wednesday. This puts me 2 pounds under my low of last year, without the visit to the hospital to help out

So even though I've lost over 20 lbs my mind wants to tell me only the last 2 count, since the first 19 lbs were re-lost lbs. Bad Head!!! You can't always control your thinking, but either way I'm now on my way to losing 'real' weight

I finished reading the library book Tucker's Claim by Sarah McCarty. Romance - very good.