Chrysalis

:) :)

Very nice wrap-up of the value of a support group, Tyme2B. You hit the nail on the head!

That's it in a nutshell, Bakon. Right on! (And whoever said that you are not a sweet and sensitive guy should go stuff themselves! :) ) PS-- When you are Mrs B have gotten over this movie, I look forward to the return of Black Bakon.

Just a simple, old-fashioned meal tonight but one of my husband's favorites-- corned beef hash and eggs with a side of stewed tomatoes.(Yes, the eggs are fried because we like those better than poached. :) )

I've been snowed in for 2 or 3 days at a stretch several times in my life. Nothing as bad as what you have now, but pretty bad. The thing I remember most is rooting around in the back of the cupboards to find something to eat. That leads to some really strange culinary creations-- tuna fish, mandarin orange sections and crunchy Chinese noodles, anyone?? :) Hang in there, Colleen and you other New Englanders, we're all cheering you on and hoping that this rotten weather breaks for you!

That curry sounds great, Babs! I think I might use chunks of butternut squash instead of the carrots-- for some reason I just associate butternut squash with coconut milk. Let us know how this comes out!

How fun! Thanks, BAT!

I was just watching a very interesting series of videos created to teach doctors about COPD-- what happens physiologically and how to treat it. If you are interested, you can view them here. But what really got my attention was one particular graph. This shows how lung function normally decreases from age 25 to age 80 (line A). If you smoke, your lung function goes down MUCH faster to where by age 65 or 70 you really can't get enough oxygen (line C). However, if you quit smoking at age 50, you can stop the accelerated loss of lung function (line B ). Seems like a good reason to quit. The take-home message is: quit smoking or be prepared to spend your retirement years on an oxygen tank (YUCK!)

Good thinking, Evelyn! One thing that frequently leads to relapses is straying away from the board too soon. Many of us (including me) have pledged to ourselves to remain active on the board for at least one year. That means checking in at least 2 or 3 times a week, reading some posts and writing a few posts to "pay it forward". Everybody I know who has done this has stayed quit. I'm just saying... :)

Restore your faith in humanity in 4 minutes flat! https://www.youtube.com/embed/btiDHCuWyBA?rel=0

You're doing great with your quit, RF, and you are smart to reach out with your concerns. Remember that 2 months is still considered a "newbie" so your mind and your body are still trying to adjust to your new reality. Everybody's quit is different so no one can tell you how long this will go on. But at 2 months your quit is totally normal. Frankly, from now until at least 6 months, the most important weapon you will need to keep your quit is patience. I'm sure that your cravings and mood swings are better now than they were during the first couple of weeks. Two months from now they will be better still. But many people relapse at this point not because they can't STAND the withdrawal symptoms but because they are just darned TIRED of them! I for sure had a really rough patch like that at around weeks 10-12-- WHEN WILL THIS END??!! All I can recommend is that you remind yourself of the reasons why you quit in the first place, focus on keeping your quit for just one more day (or one more hour or one more minute) and trust that this WILL gradually end because it will. Hang tough, honey. Distract yourself from thinking about smoking and N.O.P.E.!

No, Nancy, I hadn't seen that before. Love it! :P

50% smaller??!! That's so encouraging! Thank you for sharing that good news, Nancy. I'm sorry that your sister has to go through all this, but at least the treatment is working. Thank God! Tell your sister to rest and treat herself with TLC. I'll be praying for the both of you.

Dear Bakon :wub:

OMG! That is SO funny! Thanks, Babs.

Yep, Sharon, I'm afraid you have loosed the floodgates! :D

Speaking of breakfast and eggs, did you all hear that the powers-that-be have officially announced that we no longer have to worry about the amount of cholesterol in our diet? After many years and many studies they have determined that the cholesterol concentration in your blood has very little to do with how much cholesterol you eat. They now know that when you reduce your intake of cholesterol your liver responds by making more cholesterol. Now they say that you still do have to limit your consumption of triglycerides and trans fats (or so they say). So Bakon and his buddies can enjoy all the eggs they want! :)

The moon-- belongs to everyone. (The best things in life are free.) What is the most beautiful sight you have ever seen?

Leanne, your parfait looks luscious! You have encouraged me to try it. I have to find chia seeds first, though.

Congratulations, Jess! You REALLY earned your celebration this month! I'm so sorry for all that you have had to go through this month but one thing is for sure-- you clearly made up your mind some time ago that you are NOT going to smoke again and you stuck to it. You may have struggled and suffered but you emerged victorious. Good for you!

A-w-w-w-R-i-g-h-t!!! LMAO!!!

Um, yes, I see your point. (LOL!)

:sarcastic_blum:

I never heard of Scott Eastwood before. Thanks for the introduction! And for anyone who is interested, here is a very nice photo spread of him. http://www.eonline.com/photos/9896/scott-eastwood-s-sexy-town-country-shoot/ In some of these shots he REALLY looks like his father!

Well, if I shared my fantasies with you I would, in essence, be writing soft pron, which I think is blah, right? So I guess I will just leave it to your imagination. It's better that way. :)