Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[P2C2E]

I know I'm going to sound stupid, but I'm going in... What is a "nalgene"? Ah, I don't feel so bad now, spellcheck didn't like it either!

Heh...sorry, I should have capitalized. Nalgene is a reusable water bottle brand, pretty much indestructible. http://nalgene.com/ 

[Wellfleet]

I love water, as long as it's cold. I fill nalgenes every day at home to stick in my work fridge so i can have cold filtered water all day long. My partner likes the flavored carbonated water so we keep a lot of that in the house too. I can't drink it straight because my brain thinks fizzy should be sweet and so it tastes wrong. I do love mixing it with lemonade or juice. Also, it's the best way to drink Emergen-C. I can't stand Emergen-C in regular water, but I don't mind it in the fizzy stuff. 

 

I count my blessings that my mother never let us have anything but milk, orange juice, water, hot chocolate when we were little, and the very rare Koolaid in the Summers. This is why I think none of us six kids have ever cared much about carbonated drinks at all. We got soda-pop-coke-whatever only as "kiddie cocktails " at my grandparents' house - ginger ale with a maraschino cherry. Since college, I've had to have my [ruby red] grapefruit juice in the morning. We all like our coffee a lot, and we're half-German so we do like our beer. But I rationalize both these drinks as relatively-healthy. Coffee, if you don't go nuts, has some definite physiological benefits. And beer is full of B vitamins. No kidding, from the brewers' yeast! See? Rationalization - LOL :>) 

[Happyfatchick]

Right you are, Wellfleet! You drink your fruit juice in the morning and your vegetable (!) juice in the evenings. I'm ok with that...I've worked hard enough on my own analysis that chocolate is practically a vegetable. Now that I think of it, beer is a barley product, right? So you're drinking liquid bread. Amen and hallelujah!

[Micks Picks]

When my DH was here he had me going for drinks all the time.  Milk, pepsi, gatorade, on and on and I got so sick of it.  He never changed his whole life.  I did.  I used to drink soft drinks (yes Australia, that's what I call them, too)  Now I rarely have a pepsi, never a diet drink, maybe when at the taco treat from a soda bar.  But very rarely.  Or a Shirley Temple, 7up or Ginger ale with a cherry.  But since I am back at the house I go for water and crushed ice through the door of the refrigerator.  The  water is cold.  Small waters for on the go in the car.  And japanese Teas Tea, green or green and white, or jasmine or golden oolong etc.  Almost impossible to find around here, but can order by the case from Amazon.  Also have it at a Japanese market about 5 miles away, different brand and cheaper.  All non sugar, not because I can't or shouldn't drink sugar, it just doesn't have it.  I don't have diabetic problem, thank goodness.  Also no weight problem.  Underweight in fact.  I drank gatorade on dr orders when so dehydrated but don't feel like lugging it home.  I am sure you are all so happy to have this info  NOT.

I'm currently not drinking enough, must do better.  Actually I found all your drinking habits to be kind of interesting.  So here is my 20 cents worth.

[NextIteration]

@Westiepeach, we just ordered a few of those gadgets, do you really enjoy it?

 

I'm trying to figure out how to get the son off soda, it's a problem, I can' figure out if he needs the fizz or the flavor to get the water down, but I've been eyeballing the Soda Stream - are these on the way out though?  I notice that the "product" line they sell to go with it seems to be sold out and prices going up on eBay.  But I was thinking we could just get Propel drops or something for it.

 

Coke syrup and Ginger Ale were our "sick" fluids as children.

 

I was brought up Catholic, so drinking the hard stuff was mandatory not optional. ;)

[kalamac]

@NextIteration If he's anything like me, and you're using tapwater, even filtered, it might be the flavour. I add a bit a lemon juice to my water now, and when I was a kid, I'd load it up with cordial, because all water tastes really metallic to me. And it's definitely me, not the water, because I was an army kid, moving house every year, and every place we lived, the water always tasted weird. None of my siblings had that problem.

Edited June 21, 2015 by kalamac

[GeeGolly]

I drink water too. I just add a little coffee & cream to it.

Happy Father's Day to any dads on here.

[Happyfatchick]

Yes, Happy Fathers Day!!!

Which reminds me... My hubs is playing golf and I totally forgot to give him his lil' gift before he left. Oh well. :(

[BitterApple]

@Westiepeach, we just ordered a few of those gadgets, do you really enjoy it?

I'm trying to figure out how to get the son off soda, it's a problem, I can' figure out if he needs the fizz or the flavor to get the water down, but I've been eyeballing the Soda Stream - are these on the way out though? I notice that the "product" line they sell to go with it seems to be sold out and prices going up on eBay. But I was thinking we could just get Propel drops or something for it.

Coke syrup and Ginger Ale were our "sick" fluids as children.

I was brought up Catholic, so drinking the hard stuff was mandatory not optional. ;)

My sister got her kids off soda by switching to sparkling water with natural flavor. You get the fizz without the sugar and additives.

Your last remarks are hilarious to me because I grew up in a big Catholic family and my grandfather was a physician. Every time one of us got sick he recommended Coke or Ginger Ale. They're like the Catholic cure-alls, lol.

[mbutterfly]

Reminds me of the later Anne of Green Gables books where Anne is married to Gilbert and he's a doctor, and her housekeeper refers to her as "Mrs. Dr. dear."

I know. But I loved everything about Susan so it was fine with me even after I became a liberated woman. 

Edited June 21, 2015 by mbutterfly

[zenme]

HI, my name is Suz and I'm a Diet Coke addict. I appreciate all your posts here about kicking that habit because I'm trying to! I know it's bad for me and I'll feel better if I can quit. I've gone without it in the past. But man, this is HARD. I'm down to about a can a day but yesterday sucked and I had two. I'm about ready to totally quit.

 

I used to drink have a diet soda all day, opened and at the ready.  I weaned myself down to one a day--the caffeine withdrawal was a nightmare! I will now enjoy a caffeine-free diet drink a day, and I really savor that one.  Something about that fizz is just a nice pick-me-up when you're getting through a stack of files on your desk.  I also try to substitute the diet soda with the  Pellegrino Sparkling Fruit Drinks. I like the blood orange flavor. They're pretty good, and you still get that fizz.  You don't feel as guilty either.

[Happyfatchick]

My name is Susan. You can love me too!

[riverblue22]

My favorite thing to drink is iced tea and I have really cut back on the soda.  I got an iced tea maker and I can make my own decaffinated iced tea very easily.  No sugar, no caffeine, just a glass full of ice and iced tea!  Yummy!

[Happyfatchick]

I don't drink tea. Don't eat watermelon either, and they still let me live in Georgia). Odd, huh? I used to drink tea every day of my life, but lost my "taste" for it when I was pg with my 3rd child. He's lived every second of his life (except for the Marine part) in Georgia; he won't drink tea either. The hubster has quit drinking soda as well (remember when Coca-Cola almost filed bankruptcy? that's when we both quit). He knocks off a gallon of tea at work and another at home (nutrasweet) daily.

I remember tea and its sugary sweetness... How on earth are you guys drinking tea with no sweetener? No nutrasweet, no honey, no nothing??? That's sort of not tea, that's dirty water! You are very brave! My Amish cousins (even those who live near me now) drink other kinds of tea. Spearmint et al. They bring it home when they visit their families up north. You can't GIVE that away around here.

[Jellybeans]

This thread is hilarious by the way. Thanks, guys. :-)

[Cherrio]

I used to drink have a diet soda all day, opened and at the ready.  I weaned myself down to one a day--the caffeine withdrawal was a nightmare! I will now enjoy a caffeine-free diet drink a day, and I really savor that one.  Something about that fizz is just a nice pick-me-up when you're getting through a stack of files on your desk.  I also try to substitute the diet soda with the  Pellegrino Sparkling Fruit Drinks. I like the blood orange flavor. They're pretty good, and you still get that fizz.  You don't feel as guilty either.

I thought I would have a terrible time with parting with my Diet Coke But, nothing happened.    I switched to another non caffeinated diet drink.   

[Happyfatchick]

On the "other Duggars" thread, they're talking about Jackson being sent to the bathroom and disappearing in an airport. So: a story.

I was in a Belk department store once with my youngest, who was then 3. I wanted to try on a blouse, so took him with into the dressing room. I changed blouses, and as I'm pulling the new one back over my head, my son got on his all fours and SHOT like a canon blast under the door. I was yelling, but...he was 3. I quick yanked off the blouse, yanked mine in, grabbed my purse and ran out... No deal. Gone!!! I dropped to my knees so I could see under the racks (hoping for a glimpse of his legs) and started crawling around, shouting for my child. Thankfully, a Belk employee came running and asked me what happened. Bawling and hysterical, I managed to tell her we had an escapee.

She ran to the nearest phone and said some code over the intercom and IMMEDIATELY that store was on lockdown. The doors were locked, with an employee stationed at each before I could even THINK about that. I imagine the back (stockroom) doors were locked as well. Employees were assigned bathrooms to check, everybody quit what they were doing to locate the missing imp. I'm walking up and down aisles, looking every bit as crazy as I felt - and in a few minutes, an employee came walking toward me holding the hand of my little monster. (You can't imagine the times when he was 13-15 I looked back on that day wistfully...jk).

I was so impressed with the way the store went into lockdown. Good training! I love Belk, but I didn't visit that one for a couple years, and I NEVER put myself into that precarious position with him again. Poor kid, I also remember him asking me (when he was 18) when he might be old enough to go in the men's room to pee in a public place.

Sucks to be the baby.

[BitterApple]

I can give up soda pretty easily but I'll cut a bitch before they take away my morning cup of decaf. I'm not ashamed to admit I use the toxic chemical concoction known as Coffee Mate either. *cradles cup lovingly to chest, softly murmuring "My Precious"*

Edited June 21, 2015 by BitterApple

[NextIteration]

Pfffft, HFC, you're a rookie at imp losing!  ::she says whilst burnishing her hard earned metal::

 

Try Sams Club, Costco and Burlington Coat Factory!  I managed to stop being embarrassed about it, hand held Nintendo games saved my life, that and not even attempting to shop with the critter anymore.

[Satchels of gold]

My ex husband (now deceased) was a doctor. The nurse he left me for signed her name as Mrs John Doe, MD. Really? She wasn't the MD. But oh well.

My husband is a physician and I didn't take his last name so this post cracks me up. I hope you take solace that anyone who ever saw that knows this woman is an idiot!

[Love2dance]

OK. I don't care if the Duggars continue or not, but the Small Talk forum must go on. You are my entertainment for the day. ;)

[Jellybeans]

Hmm.... I wonder if I could put my son on lockdown. He'd hate me but I'd know where he is. Heh.

[Love2dance]

OK. I don't care if the Duggars continue or not, but the Small Talk forum must go on. You are my entertainment for the day. ;)

Oh dear.  I just realized how this might be viewed.  I meant the truly funny posts, not the serious, personal posts by Wonderwoman, Happyfatchick, Jellybeans, and others. Those touch my heart, and are certainly not entertainment.

[Jellybeans]

Oh dear.  I just realized how this might be viewed.  I meant the truly funny posts, not the serious, personal posts by Wonderwoman, Happyfatchick, Jellybeans, and others. Those touch my heart, and are certainly not entertainment.

Nonsense. I like being amused. :-)

[Jynnan tonnix]

So much fun, so many stories that tug at heartstrings, so many random things I suddenly connect to...

 

This thread is amazing on so many levels. I started out reading and occasionally posting close to a year ago, but have not been able to keep up between this and that in the past few months, and it seems that so many amazingly intelligent, eloquent and downright funny new posters keep popping up that it hardly seems worth adding to the stew.

 

As a quick overview, since the beginning of April, my husband retired after 38 years in the Navy, I spent a month in England visiting relatives I see way too infrequently, and my father-in-law, who has not been doing very well for some years now but was holding his own very suddenly took a turn for the worse and passed away days after a 60th wedding anniversary celebration for him and my MIL.

 

We had managed to get a fair amount of the family (my husband is one of 7 siblings) together for the anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and while Dad had us very worried in the days beforehand, he rallied for the celebration and a couple of days afterward. We live a 6-hour drive away, and right after we got home, my father-in-law started acting quite erratic, so my husband turned around to spend a few more days to help his mom out while we got more answers.

Unfortunately, they determined that he had lung cancer which had spread to his brain, and we ended up spending another week down there arranging for hospice care, etc, and trying to set up a schedule for some of the other siblings to rotate being there with him and Mom.

 

One brother came out to spend the weekend last week, and we got home on Friday afternoon, only to learn that he had passed away Saturday morning, so we turned around yet again to help organize all the paperwork, funeral, etc (my husband is the oldest of the seven kids, and has always seen his role in life as the one who takes care of everything).

The funeral was yesterday, and was actually a surprisingly positive celebration in many ways given that we had all 7 siblings plus almost all the first-cousins (some of whom are now married with kids of their own) together for the first time in some 26 years, and other than the fact that we will miss Dad, he went in an almost perfect manner, in his beloved lounge-chair, just before the hospice bed was moved in, and is now free of pain for the first time in at least 7 or 8 years....

 

I caught a ride back with my daughter, who lives near us, to get back to some of the projects on the home front while my husband will likely stay on until Wednesday or Thursday to make sure Mom is coping OK (we worry, as she is showing some signs of being in early stages of dementia herself, and need to figure out the best way to address that issue as well)...

 

So...yeah, that ended up longer than I meant it to, especially given that I meant to connect with some of the "foodie" posts which struck a chord with me, given that we have spent significant time in Hawaii (and also 2 years in Guam) and in Georgia, among other tours.

 

I'll just leave it here for the time being...

[Love2dance]

Jynann Tonnix, sending you and your family sympathy and hugs. May your best memories comfort you all.

[Wellfleet]

Right you are, Wellfleet! You drink your fruit juice in the morning and your vegetable (!) juice in the evenings. I'm ok with that...I've worked hard enough on my own analysis that chocolate is practically a vegetable. Now that I think of it, beer is a barley product, right? So you're drinking liquid bread. Amen and hallelujah!

 

Actually chocolate, in the right amounts, has definite physiological benefits too, especially DARK chocolate. Just as long as we don't eat too much. I'm counting chocolate in there with beer and coffee as "relatively" health foods. :>)

[Happyfatchick]

That was a whirlwind, wasn't it, Tonnix? I'm so sorry you had to go thru all that. And good for your husband, taking charge. My mother has dementia as well, I feel ya. Suuuuucks. She's been on this ride for 14 years. I wish there was something to be said or done besides "oh dear", but we're here for you. Love this group. {hugs}, as many as you need.

[Wellfleet]

Much sympathy to you and your family, jynnan. Your FIL sounds like a wonderful person with a well-lived life.  Good to have you back too, and take care.

I wonder how all the soda/pop/coke-pepsi companies are staying in business with all of us switching to water?

 

The huge ones are massively-diversified and will be just fine. Even if they never sell another can of soda from this moment on. :>)

[Happyfatchick]

My cousin recently got dentures, and at first had to be careful to drink only purified water with no additives. I offered him Dasani one day, and he said it had salt in it, he couldn't have it. I actually read the label for the first time. They add salt!!! I FEEL COMPLETELY DEFRAUDED!!!!

@niksac, the meerkats pic is SO stinking CUTE!!! Did you see the talking animal thing that made its way all over the Internet with (was it a prairie dog?) calling "Allen! Al!!! Al!!! Allen!!!" That was the most hilarious video I ever saw.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Happyfatchick

[abseedee]

My cousin recently got dentures, and at first had to be careful to drink only purified water with no additives. I offered him Dasani one day, and he said it had salt in it, he couldn't have it. I actually read the label for the first time. They add salt!!! I FEEL COMPLETELY DEFRAUDED!!!!

 

Dasani is my choice of bottled water.  I don't really taste the salt in it.  I won't touch Aquafina unless it's the only bottled water available.  Supposedly it's tap water.

Edited June 22, 2015 by abseedee

[Readalot]

We spoiled our daughters, they won't drink any water bottled but Arrowhead. If in a bind they will have other brands of Sping Water. I thought both Dasani and Aquacina were both tap water? They taste like it to us.

[Wellfleet]

I have a spacemaker Brita pitcher - slim, fits on fridge door - and can definitely taste the difference between tap water, and water after it's been through the Brita. Big difference - highly recommend Brita. Use it exclusively when making coffee and tea. It takes about 10 min tops to fill and filter the whole pitcher. Change filter every 40 pitchers. And I wish I had an endorsement deal with the company, because I tell everyone how good it is. 

[Wellfleet]

My aunt did this.  MY AUNT.  I think it might have been leftover boarding school etiquette.

Not much of a pop drinker but when I do my Coke is Vernor's Ginger Ale.  You can take the gal out of Detroit but you can't take Detroit out of the gal. :)

 

Vernor's is delicious! I have a friend with family in Detroit who always brings a case or two home for herself whenever she visits. Which means I get a gift bottle that is thoroughly enjoyed - with a "kiddie cocktail" marasachino cherry.

[Wellfleet]

When my DH was here he had me going for drinks all the time.  Milk, pepsi, gatorade, on and on and I got so sick of it.  He never changed his whole life.  I did.  I used to drink soft drinks (yes Australia, that's what I call them, too)  Now I rarely have a pepsi, never a diet drink, maybe when at the taco treat from a soda bar.  But very rarely.  Or a Shirley Temple, 7up or Ginger ale with a cherry.  But since I am back at the house I go for water and crushed ice through the door of the refrigerator.  The  water is cold.  Small waters for on the go in the car.  And japanese Teas Tea, green or green and white, or jasmine or golden oolong etc.  Almost impossible to find around here, but can order by the case from Amazon.  Also have it at a Japanese market about 5 miles away, different brand and cheaper.  All non sugar, not because I can't or shouldn't drink sugar, it just doesn't have it.  I don't have diabetic problem, thank goodness.  Also no weight problem.  Underweight in fact.  I drank gatorade on dr orders when so dehydrated but don't feel like lugging it home.  I am sure you are all so happy to have this info  NOT.

I'm currently not drinking enough, must do better.  Actually I found all your drinking habits to be kind of interesting.  So here is my 20 cents worth.

 

I'm the same way, Micks. I loathe sweetened drinks of any kind. Not that I can't have sugar. I just prefer unsweetened everything. I didn't even like sweetened cereal as a kid. Give me Shredded Wheat, Rice Krispies, Grape Nuts and Irish oatmeal with a little milk and a handful of dried cherries. Yum. My mom was very careful about nutrition when we were little - ahead of her time really, we ate yogurt about 10 years before it caught on in the late 60s - and none of us have any food addictions that I know about, other than coffee [me]. I do like my Italian roast Starbucks, but I make it at home in my French press. And there's absolutely nothing better than a tall glass of COLD water with ice. According to the elderly GP my Mom took us to as kids - water is the only beverage that truly quenches a thirst.  

Edited June 22, 2015 by Wellfleet

[BitterApple]

Jynnan, I'm so sorry for your loss. Prayers to you and your family.

[amitville]

So much fun, so many stories that tug at heartstrings, so many random things I suddenly connect to...

 

This thread is amazing on so many levels. I started out reading and occasionally posting close to a year ago, but have not been able to keep up between this and that in the past few months, and it seems that so many amazingly intelligent, eloquent and downright funny new posters keep popping up that it hardly seems worth adding to the stew.

 

As a quick overview, since the beginning of April, my husband retired after 38 years in the Navy, I spent a month in England visiting relatives I see way too infrequently, and my father-in-law, who has not been doing very well for some years now but was holding his own very suddenly took a turn for the worse and passed away days after a 60th wedding anniversary celebration for him and my MIL.

 

We had managed to get a fair amount of the family (my husband is one of 7 siblings) together for the anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and while Dad had us very worried in the days beforehand, he rallied for the celebration and a couple of days afterward. We live a 6-hour drive away, and right after we got home, my father-in-law started acting quite erratic, so my husband turned around to spend a few more days to help his mom out while we got more answers.

Unfortunately, they determined that he had lung cancer which had spread to his brain, and we ended up spending another week down there arranging for hospice care, etc, and trying to set up a schedule for some of the other siblings to rotate being there with him and Mom.

 

One brother came out to spend the weekend last week, and we got home on Friday afternoon, only to learn that he had passed away Saturday morning, so we turned around yet again to help organize all the paperwork, funeral, etc (my husband is the oldest of the seven kids, and has always seen his role in life as the one who takes care of everything).

The funeral was yesterday, and was actually a surprisingly positive celebration in many ways given that we had all 7 siblings plus almost all the first-cousins (some of whom are now married with kids of their own) together for the first time in some 26 years, and other than the fact that we will miss Dad, he went in an almost perfect manner, in his beloved lounge-chair, just before the hospice bed was moved in, and is now free of pain for the first time in at least 7 or 8 years....

 

I caught a ride back with my daughter, who lives near us, to get back to some of the projects on the home front while my husband will likely stay on until Wednesday or Thursday to make sure Mom is coping OK (we worry, as she is showing some signs of being in early stages of dementia herself, and need to figure out the best way to address that issue as well)...

 

So...yeah, that ended up longer than I meant it to, especially given that I meant to connect with some of the "foodie" posts which struck a chord with me, given that we have spent significant time in Hawaii (and also 2 years in Guam) and in Georgia, among other tours.

 

I'll just leave it here for the time being...

So sorry for your loss my condelences  to you and your family.

[msblossom]

I don't drink tea. Don't eat watermelon either, and they still let me live in Georgia). Odd, huh? I used to drink tea every day of my life, but lost my "taste" for it when I was pg with my 3rd child. He's lived every second of his life (except for the Marine part) in Georgia; he won't drink tea either. The hubster has quit drinking soda as well (remember when Coca-Cola almost filed bankruptcy? that's when we both quit). He knocks off a gallon of tea at work and another at home (nutrasweet) daily.

I remember tea and its sugary sweetness... How on earth are you guys drinking tea with no sweetener? No nutrasweet, no honey, no nothing??? That's sort of not tea, that's dirty water! You are very brave! My Amish cousins (even those who live near me now) drink other kinds of tea. Spearmint et al. They bring it home when they visit their families up north. You can't GIVE that away around here.

Ha! You crack me up -- I can't drink sweet tea, no thank you ma'am, I like mine the "dirty water" way, but still prefer plain 'ole water over just about anything else, except (and I know this will gross some of you out) I usually add a TBSP of Braggs ACV to my 24 oz Camelback with a bunch of ice to my water. Sweet tea tastes like syrup to me, and living in the South, I can't even accept a glass to be polite. My hubs is from South Mississippi & he doesn't like sweet tea & watermelon either. He's an outcast for sure, cause he married himself a northerner, lost his accent, and doesn't keep up with his fraternity brothers. The family barely claims him, j/k.

[msblossom]

Jynnan, I'm so sorry for the loss of your FIL. (((HUGS)))

[NextIteration]

Jynnan tonnix - hugs, sorry for your loss.

 

HFC, dementia is impossible, I feel lucky that my father only had it for about four years before he left us.

[Westiepeach]

@Westiepeach, we just ordered a few of those gadgets, do you really enjoy it?

 

I'm trying to figure out how to get the son off soda, it's a problem, I can' figure out if he needs the fizz or the flavor to get the water down, but I've been eyeballing the Soda Stream - are these on the way out though?  I notice that the "product" line they sell to go with it seems to be sold out and prices going up on eBay.  But I was thinking we could just get Propel drops or something for it.

 

Coke syrup and Ginger Ale were our "sick" fluids as children.

 

I was brought up Catholic, so drinking the hard stuff was mandatory not optional. ;)

I love it! I wouldn't call it a "gadget" per se, though. It's more like a water bottle with a "cage" inside. There I put strawberries, or watermelon, berries, mint leaves, even basil leaves. Then you fill the bottle with cold water and the flavors of the fruit/herbs flavor the water. I do not leave my house without it anymore! Really makes me drink a lot of water! Although, once (maybe twice) I put some white wine in there with the fruit and drank that. (Oh - don't judge me!) and it was wonderful! But 99.9999% of the time cold water goes in!

[parisprincess]

I don't know why I don't visit the prayer closet more often because I'm enjoying the conversation about what everyone is drinking!

 

My daily drink of choice was Decaffeinated Diet Pepsi for years.  I hardly ever drank a glass of water.  When I decided I needed a healthier diet, I gave up the Diet Pepsi and started drinking water.  It was hard at first, so I started making cucumber water, which I found to be really refreshing.  Now I drink lots of plain water (has to be ice cold with lots of ice) and also my cucumber water.  Of course, I enjoy my wine too!

[springtime]

I can give up soda pretty easily but I'll cut a bitch before they take away my morning cup of decaf. I'm not ashamed to admit I use the toxic chemical concoction known as Coffee Mate either. *cradles cup lovingly to chest, softly murmuring "My Precious"*

My hair salon introduced me to coffeemate and brown sugar in my coffee- yum!

[amitville]

My hair salon introduced me to coffeemate and brown sugar in my coffee- yum!

That  sounds good I have 3 questions 

Is coffematte powder

how much brown sugar

can you make it iced

[Julia]

I actually just bought an old-fashioned seltzer siphon (the CO2 canisters are way cheaper than the proprietary ones the machines use), some stevia and some cola flavoring stuff in hopes that it will wean my off my diet coke jones. I just don't think the nutrasweet is doing me a bit of good.

[springtime]

That  sounds good I have 3 questions 

Is coffematte powder

how much brown sugar

can you make it iced

powdered coffeemate

brown sugar to taste

not sure about iced - but worth a try

[BitterApple]

Coffeemate comes in both powder and liquid form. There's several flavors in the liquid. I'm not sure what percentage of it is actual dairy cream, but the stuff keeps in your fridge for a while.

I'm wanting to try some of the vegan "creamers" but I haven't gotten around to it yet. They're not cheap and I hate to spend money on pricey stuff only to get it home and find out I don't like it.

Edited June 22, 2015 by BitterApple

[Happyfatchick]

@bitter Apple: I think you may have to change your handle. No cant read a post from you now without thinking "my precious"!

[jcbrown]

 

HFC, dementia is impossible, I feel lucky that my father only had it for about four years before he left us.

I lost my mom to Alzheimer's in 2007, about 6 (?) years after her diagnosis. In retrospect, she had it much longer. We had to make the decision to not put in a feeding tube and thus prolong her decline indefinitely. It was both devastating and the right thing to do. She was in a really good nursing home under hospice care and both were indispensable. My entire immediate family (dad, me, sister, my husband, sometimes my sister's ex) spent 6 full days in the nursing home with her as she was dying. Someone was with her at all times; all of us (except the ex) were with her during the day all day every day. It was intense and heartbreaking and real.

 

Cheerier topic? My (non-alcoholic) drink of choice: non-flavored sparkling water. I tried a SodaStream but I drink like 3 liters of the stuff a day and I already cook 6-7 nights plus weekend breakfast plus my own lunches during the week every week. Turned out I was not willing to also plan my own water consumption so I am instead environmentally irresponsible and buy my sparkly water.

[NikSac]

@niksac, the meerkats pic is SO stinking CUTE!!! Did you see the talking animal thing that made its way all over the Internet with (was it a prairie dog?) calling "Allen! Al!!! Al!!! Allen!!!" That was the most hilarious video I ever saw.

 

I haven't seen it but will have to look for it!  Maybe you've even seen Meerkats before and didn't know. Their frontal hug had me laughing so, so hard.