Tuesday, TAX DAY....Apr 15

[zip2play]

Good morning everyone,
Today is a totally FREE day...tedious tasks behind me, so I'm going into NYC for a nice long walk (and to empty another expired CD...now would be a good time to buy a reasonable house- and pay cash for it.)
Why can't an ancient relative I've never heard of die and leave me a nice brownstone on FIFTH AVENUE- that would save lots of trouble
It's going to be 78° and sunny today (already over 60).

Loretta,
Sorry about that tedious day with the court. My main worry is the hideous insurance hike you may be hit with. The fine and the school will just be a slap on the wrist, but a 10 year insurance hike is a right cross to the jaw.
You're up on your Christianity- here's a happy coincidence: Holy Thursday was the Last Supper (Eucharist and Holy Orders "invented") The "supper" was the Seder of the first day of Passover. Well this year that day and Holy Thursday actually fall the same day, April 17. (Gee all this information from a confirmed Atheist!)

Montana,
Looking forward to Friday's Orange Pie...now all I need figure is a substitute for the Kool Whip (all trans fats...it will never cross my lips)....do you think merengue might work folded in?

For people comparing state costs, you actually should consider age as well. For example, New York has a HIDEOUS income tax(7%ish) with low property tax (relatively), NEW JERSEY has only a 1 or 2% income tax but MURDEROUS property taxes. So it's best to earn your money in New Jersey and rent then retire to NEW YORK and BUY! Sales tax usually doesn;t aqmount to much over the cost of a year.
Another BIG consideration for the elderly are INHERITANCE taxes: states vary WILDLY in their methods of getting blood from the dead. PA sucks everybody dry, NY generous, NJ great for relatives, murderous for friends...SO MANY CONSIDERATIONS.

Ginny,
Please get some some pics for us on your kitchen progression...I'm a big THIS OLD HOUSE fan. Buy yourself a nice digital camera for Easter. Especially with the orchids the payback time is very short in saved film and developing costs.

Susan,
Back to Canada already...pack your snowshoes!

Have a good one everybody!

[OrchidCactus]

Mornin' gang!

Busy day yesterday. Had to fight with MCI over THIER screw up that has cost us so far over $80...they didn't set up our account properly and the switch didn't go through. It is now set up correctly, but I still will have to fight with the corporate offices (which you have to mail to or fax to, guess they don't have a PHONE NUMBER!!!) and see if I can squeeze some retribution from them. I know it's not likely, but am gonna try anyways. Then off to Co-op to get the tires rebalanced once again. Vibration still not cured. Oh well, I'm tired of fighting with them. They say it's the bias-ply tires and there's no way around a little vibration. I say BS, I've had bias ply tires for years without this problem. We'll see what happens on this front too. Otherwise all is well here. Sunny and warm for us, so that makes it hard to go to work instead of play.

Linda, more painting? Sheesh....that's why I like panelling! When we get done with this house, I won't ever have to paint! What little touch up needs done, DH can handle Our state does have a higher sales tax on everything, the only exclusion being prescriptions. It is a bit different depending on what the county throws in, but where we're at it generally runs 8.5-8.75%. I still think a sales tax is a much fairer way to nail us than in income tax. At least with sales tax, you only pay if you spend! Property taxes seem to be on the low side here too, so definitely check out the South for that winter home!

Loretta, ouch on the fiasco with the court system! Was hoping you'd get it resolved and be done with it. Hope all goes well today with DH's eye appt...at least it's a pretty day for a drive.

Shawnee, sorry your weather turned yucky again! Hopefully this is the last of the cold crap for you. Know what you mean about encouraging the 'shake' outside. Wish mine would do that! Reckon that's what a utility room is for LOL

Zip, so with all the different tax rules, which state are you going to look at? The move to a house of your own requires SO much research and preparation....but is really worth it to have some space! Keep us posted on what you find and where.

Susan, coming off vacation is tough! Hope you have a safe and easy flight home, no delays and some SUNSHINE to welcome you even if it is cold. It does always feel good to get back in your own bed tho.....

Pam, more sneaux? Sheesh! Would drive me crazy! Here we are in the beginning of allergy season, and you're still under the white blanket. Be safe in your travels!

Shelly, PJ, Dragon...where are y'all? Hope all is well.

Off to lurk for a bit, then back to real life.

[tinkerpam]

Heading down to W. Sacramento again, while there is a break in the weather. No baby yet, but I will attend DGD's E.N.T appt. They have to do something for her. My diagnosis is a T & A. The poor kid has had constant colds/ear infections since infancy.
I need to wake up, and drink some more coffee!
Ginny, Shawnee, Linda, Loretta, Zip, Susan, and Shelly~~I'll be back Friday. Other DD's family coming up for Easter. Geez, I wish there were more time for some real posting! Working Monday.

[Jewels]

Hi everyone,

My name is Julie, and I'm 2 #'s from goal. I'm getting anxious about how I will react when I finally reach it. I have lost weight many, many times before and always gained it back. I love this woe and am hoping this time to keep it off. I voiced my concern to Loretta, and she told me to jump on over to here. I've been posting on the Golden Years. So now you know I'm over 50. LOL Acturally, I'm 59 but who cares? I'm not sure if this is the thread I'm suppose to be posting on for support but am hoping you'll all help me. You all seem to be talking about other things but maybe because you all know each other so well. Julie

[LoveMontana]

Good evening magnificant ones.

Roger, I would use home made whipped cream in place of the cool whip not merengue. I've made it with the whipped cream a time or two. Yeah, I won't touch trans fats either. OR SUGAR! One of these days I'll try the pie using coconut milk in place of the condensed milk.

HA!! Low real estate taxes my azz! New York is one of the highest in the country, after Calif. Our sales tax is a bear but I would gladly vote for another increase so they don't raise our school taxes again. Ba$tards want 11% this year on top of the 20 some % last year. Yes our state tax income tax is 8.5%, but fortunately our state gov pensions are exempt. One must also consider personal property taxes imposed by some states such as NC, home owners and auto ins rates. For example in Tenn., they have no state income tax but the real estate taxes are a small fraction of NY. There is a 9% sales tax on almost everything including food . Wyoming, Alaska, Texas, South Dakota, Washington State, and one more I can't think of right now also have much lower real estate taxes and NO state income tax. I'm still in the process of checking on the other "hidden" taxes and insurance rates in them. Groannnn! My head hurts from the stress.
WIshing you the best in your quest.

Ginny, I don't mind painting and once it's done, it's stays good for at least 10 years. No one smokes in the house so it stays fairly clean. Well, except the kitchen. That isn't too bad because we have douglas fur ceilings that just need a wash now and then.
We do want to see the "in progress" pictures.
MCI doesn't have a phone NUMBER??? Holy Chit!! Keep after them girl. Wanna borrow my shot gun? You can take care of the Co-op too. Good lord, doesn't anyone take pride in their work anymore and do it right?? Go get them girl.

Pam, oh that poor kid. I bet your dx. is correct. Two of mine were fine after their T & A. Have a safe trip.

Susan, hopefully you had an uneventful trip home. Surprise!! The weather here in the NE is not bad at all. We got up to 82 today. YIPPIE!!

Shawnee, any ideas on how to make a lc version of condensed milk? I bet if I took a look in the recipe room or bb, I might find one. Hopefully you and pup got out to enjoy the sun. Are the slugs around yet? We will await your rampage when they show up.

Loretta, let us know how dh made out with his eye doctor appointment today. Company leaving tonight or towmorrow?? Bet you can't wait to get back to normal.

Waving to Shelly and Dragon.

Julie, Hi and welcome to our little band of maintainers. We don't often talk about our plan here but do share recipes and other important life issues... Maintaining is such an individual thing since our bodies are all different. Some of us add in lc baked goodies, more fruits, etc. and some take more chances with higher carb foods.. We all just need to find what works for us.

I'm off to let dh on here for a bit and will be back to lurk here and there. Work went well and the patients were nice for a change. I even took a group outside to enjoy our 80 degree temps.
Later

[shawneesioux]

Hi Y'all

Been a day of sun and rain trade-offs, sometimes both at once!
Am envious of y'all who are having solid sunshine! I planted hanging baskets today, most of the time while under the patio roof.

I made some LC Donut Holes today, and had a pig out on them...so I guess I'd better be a good gal for awhile. Fish and salad for dinner. (TIP*...do not read the paper while sitting near a plate of donut holes...)

Hi and Welcome, Julie. Congrats for being so close to Goal. Some folks get real excited when reaching "the" weight,,,Heck, I can't remember the date in particular, just remember it was in Aug 2001 when I could get on my "skinny" pants (THAT excited me)...You say you love this WOE...so there's no reason to be concerned that you can't keep the weight off! If your weight goes up a few pounds, you just get a little stricter with yourself for a few days. Maintenance is Trial and Error, while upping your carbs.....we all do it a little differently. A lot of us here are in your age bracket, and some are younger. We give each other support in ALL areas of our lives, so there's always lots of chatter about non-LC-related subjects. Feel free to join in, and say whatever's on your mind.

Hey Tink....sure hope your trip to Sac was safe and the Doc visit gave y'all some answers/solutions for that DGD. Keep us posted on the arrival of baby Ryan.

Ginny......isn't it one heck of a deal, in these times of INSTANT communications..that you cannot reach a REAL person at a business..lots of run-arounds, "press #2 for.." crap. Good luck, keep fighting it, the PRINCIPAL is at stake ! ( PLUS YOUR $80 )
Hope ya get some satisfaction from the Balancing...and enjoy that sunshine.

Susan, hope your trip home was good and uneventful..bet poor Oliver will have a bit of adjustment to make, from Sun to Sneaux again, bless his little heart. Have a day to readjust, then we will be expecting to hear about those extra 5 lbs coming OFF ! LOL

Loretta, this has probably been a long day for you and Dh; hope it had some highlights included. How's your DH doing, sight-wise?

ZIP, it sure makes sense to buy property, but as you say, ... the question is where. So many Pros and Cons to consider with every State, then each town within that state varies....Good luck in your search.

Montana, have you been painting again? Find any Lobelia or tomato plants? So far, I have everything protected that I've planted in pots. After that really late Spring Frost last year, I'm leery of losing them...

Later all.

EDITED : HEY Montana, guess you posted while I was still pecking..as a matter of fact, I saw TWO recipes on the Recipe Help BB yesterday:

http://www.low-carb-friends.com/bbs/...threadid=31609

Shawnee

[LoveMontana]

LOL Shawnee, yup we were posting at the same time. dh ran to the store so I got back on here.

Thanks for the link. Now maybe I can make that orange pie again substituting orange extract for the oj and still adding the mandarin oranges in. A little carby, but ok once in a while.

The other night I went to Lowe's, Home Depot, Wally world looking at their garden depts. They had nothing but a few fruit trees and pansies in stock. They won't get any others in for a few weeks yet. It's still too cold here. Glad you got your hanging baskets planted. It's going to be some time until I can do it.

Oh Julie, I see on the menu thread that you wanted a recipe for meatloaf or meatballs. Just make your favorite and sub. flax or pork rinds for the bread or cracker crumbs.

Roger, dont' forget to compare utility costs. Three miles from us in PA. Verison phone and gas/electric and oil prices are half of what it is in NY.

[zip2play]

Hi everybody,

Here's what I'd try for a good stab at "condensed milk":
Heavy cream
Enough xanthan gum to get the thickness right
Enough cyclamate (or Splenda or Nutrasweet (if not heating hard...or saccharine if you can stand it)) to get sweetness right
Voila.
The nice thing about using the xanthan is that it thickens cold as well as hot so you see what you get.

Linda,
You would DIE if you saw the NJ property taxes...some nice row houses in Jersey City are paying $12,000 a year. In NJ, the property tax runs EVERYTHING! A brownstone in Manhattan pays far lower taxes. I KNOW NJ is FIRST in the nation in property tax- remember California had Proposition 5 (I think 5) where taxes were frozen at rates 20 years ago....lots of people pay VERY little.

I know about those Pennsy electric rates- they are really nicely low... with a Pennsy home I'd have air conditioners running 24/7...unfortunately gas and oil are about the same as NY and NJ.

Julie,
Welcome aboard and congrats on that 2 lb. from goal. Washington State eh, I guess you and Shawnee can meet on the way to the market in your kayaks with all the rain you've been having!

Pam,
Have a nice time and we'll see you Friday...I kept my tonsils til I turned 19 and they almost killed me several times...I'd run 104 fevers at least 3 times a year with strep infections....year after year after year. My doctor "didn't believe" in taking them out- may he rot in Hell!

Ginny,
The move will almost certainly be PA: Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton. (House #1 is still on the market...hee, hee)

Gosh it's 10PM and 72° both inside and outside....weird but nice...going back into the forties later this week though. Todays walk in town was gorgeous; we must have clocked 4 miles.

[shawneesioux]

ZIP, I found the first TINY sprout of the Basil seeds today ..as I was watering with the weak Camomile..I think it was about 5 days back I planted??? I've also been thinking that it should not be too complicated to make sweetened condensed cream, so I went searching......
BTW, I wanna play too..

MONTANA, would you share the ORANGE PIE recipe, pretty please?

LOOK AT THIS, something for us to play with:

(but I would still add some Xanthan......I like the last one with Salt, and NO cooking.. there's 36 carbs in a Cup of Dry non-fat powdered milk)



Bordens Sweetened Condensed Milk
Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened Condensed Milk Homemade
Sweetened Condensed Milk

* Exported from MasterCook *

Bordens Sweetened Condensed Milk

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup plus
2 Tbsp powdered milk

Combine all ingredients. Heat to boiling. Cook until thick, this will
take 15 to 20 minutes. This equals one can

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* Exported from MasterCook *

Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Copycat Beverages

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup Hot water
3/4 cup Sugar
1 1/4 cup Non fat dry milk
4 Tbsp Soft butter

Put water and sugar in blender, blend 1 min. till sugar is partially
dissolved. Add dry milk, a little at a time till smooth. Add butter, 1 Tbsp
at
a time, blending and scraping sides of blender until mixture is smooth.
Refrigerate at least 24 hours before using to allow to thicken. Keeps in
refrigerator up to a month, and freezes up to a year. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Gloria Pitzer's Secret Recipe for Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (Copycat)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* Exported from MasterCook *

Sweetened Condensed Milk Homemade

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk solids
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp. melted butter

In blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in
refrigerator until ready to use. Yields about 14 ounces (same as canned
milk).


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* Exported from MasterCook *

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup Powdered Milk
1/3 cup Water -- Boiling
3 Tbsp Margarine -- Melted
2/3 cup Sugar
Salt -- Pinch

Blend all ingredients till smooth. Makes 14oz. Keeps well in refrigerator.

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[shawneesioux]

HEY, THIS ONE HAS XANTHAN : But ya gotta cook it ) on second look, where's the LIQUID ? Does it mean RECONSTITUTED dry dairy alternative?..(and we could use powdered milk..??)
Here's the site; says this recipe equals one cup...

http://www.newdiets.com/Basic_Ingred...stitutes.shtml

Sweetened Condensed Milk
Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered dairy alternative
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon margarine
1/2 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum
Directions

Combine all ingredients, mix well.
Bring to slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Boil for one minute, or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.
Chill until cool before adding to recipe.

[LoveMontana]

Holy Cow Shawnee!! I just saved the two from the sites you posted and now these. Yummm. One of them must be a keeper. Thank you.

That orange pie from the old days is so simple

store bought graham cracker or other cookie crust. ( not any more) lol.
1 6 oz can of frozen orange juice thawed.
1 can condensed milk
1 8 oz container of yuck, yuck, yuck Cool Whip
1 large or two small cans of drained mandarin oranges.
Mix oj, condensed milk, fold in cool whip, add oranges...put into crust and chill for several hrs.

Cool that your basil sprouted in just 5 days. Wow..

Roger, I know of some neighborhoods in this depressed area where the taxes for a single family home on a standard city lot of 50' x 150' are about 8 to 12 thousand a year too. Dirty rotten BA$TARDS!! Guess they are going to get us one way or another almost everyplace. I'm still working on research though. Maybe Mexico or Central America,eh?

Now dh really, really wants to get on here.

[shawneesioux]

Montana, thanks for that recipe..gonna take some doin' to LC it..LOL.. Do ya have any of those "K" Greek cookies stashed away for crumbs to make a crust? Heck, even dried out Almond Muffin crumbs would work.

I'm gonna go experiment with the Sweetened cream thingy.

ZIP, I hear ya..I think I was born with an ear infection...had mine tonsils removed at 21..I was pregnant, so had to have it done under Local...GAWD, they looked like huge skinned pollywogs! Later, had to have those tubes put in the ears..then removed..yuk.

Let there be ( ORANGE) Pie!

Shawnee