Age 50+ - Active Folks Over 50 -- #23

Hey! :welcome2:

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Active Folks Over 50 is a place to talk about fitness and healthy eating information as it relates to weight loss and/or maintenance--and also about any work, fun, hobby, or volunteer activites you're engaged in. In other words, the active part of your life!

Just a few guidelines for this thread:

- Raves about grandkids or ranting about your kids is out of bounds.

- Lengthy discussion of your illnesses, conditions, treatments, and medical procedures in general is also out of bounds on this thread. So is whining about old age! ;)

- Positive stories of vacations taken, volunteer work, or achievements at work or elsewhere are highly encouraged! As are recommendations for books, movies, discussions of weight related issues, etc.

Join in!
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Gee, Jude--sorry to hear that you caved in so late in the day, after having avoided those food items for so long... :( Maybe you got too hungry by then.

But when that happens, try not to let the rest of the evening go downhill. If you get a flat tire, do you pull off the road and slash the other three? :no: And so it is with this weight loss business--a slip isn't an excuse for a binge.

Laurie, have you always had a hearing impairment?

Jada, it sounds like things are hanging in OK with you. I like the idea of saving money you don't spend on overeating.

I have to say, though, that I don't agree with the opinion that it's best to just give in to cravings. There is no end to that... and getting back on plan "a day or so later" is too long! That's why I like calorie-counting. No food is off limits, so I'm not forbidden to eat anything. I just have to count everything. And I know what my daily allotment is.

meowee, what can I say about your s**w situation? :no: Good for you on the 5 pounds, though! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: Keep on going!

loveswalking, come on back and post again!

And now I have work to do... :stress:

Jay

Good Morning JAY . . . and everybody else . . . :grouphug:

Good morning everybody!!!

Jude: Regarding April Accountability: Ladyinweighting explains the thread at the beginning of the thread. Basically, it's posting once, and then editing each day on your progress. Everybody seems to have their own style.

Good Morning all.
Jay my problem is not helped by my hours. I work 1-9pm so I eat lunch around 3pm and dinner around 630pm. As I recall that day I had a pretty good dinner. So was not hungry. Just too much temptation. Yesterday was a bit better. I have to balance out my food plan to find some room for snacks. I will take a snack today. Something healthy.
I am on my way out the door to the gym. Be back later....Jude

Ok did my fitday and have added 2 snacks to take. Calories for the day are 1600. So that is good. See how that works for me. Gotta love that fitday.

I do I do! I love FitDay! :broc: :broc:

Jay

Hi all, hope you had a good day and not to many "jokes". There are blessings to April 1st falling during spring break most years!
It was a non-eventful day here. I am enjoying walking to work this week - it is nice to mix things up a bit. With everyone gone, it is unlikely that I will need my car during the day. I sure wish it was warmer though - I caught snowflakes with my tongue walking home tonight :(

My MIL stopped over while I was at work - dropped off a birthday card for DS2 - I'm glad I cleaned last weekend!!!

Grilled vegetables and Morningstar Farms Chicken strips for dinner tonight. I needed extra veggies today. The house still smells wonderful!

Gotta fly - time for Wii Sports ;) I'm getting better left handed - I even bowled a 256 last night :D

I did well today. A lot of people were out walking and being friendly. I walked a bit with a woman who was walking while pushing a carriage with two young sons. I found out I'm having a new grand son.
I'm glad April's Fools Day is over. I don't have much humor when it comes to practical jokes. Although I was hoping it was a joke when Jay said she didn't recommend caving in to food cravings.:lol:

Hi I've been trying to catch up. It's been an extremely busy week. I have my final parent conferences, Thursday. YaHoo! I hope to catch up on all the p[osting this weekend. It hasn't been a great OP week, I still have a sinus infection and I haven't exercised. I"ll get back on track this weekend. Hope spring comes soon.

Nothing exciting for me . . . lunch out and a little shopping as is usual for a Thursday. Weather is damp and dull but at least it is not snowing. :s:

See you later . . . :wave:

I'm afraid life wasn't exciting here today either. Spent the day with Excel compiling data for the buildings.

My tea order from Amazon came, so I am busy trying 4 different kids of loose leaf tea :)

LOL - I sound more like a little old lady than an active mature woman today :yes:

I am taking tomorrow off and continuing with the de-clutter project, so I will be PLENTY active tomorrow!

DH is making roasted vegetables and rice for dinner. I LOVE it when he has the day off!

Hope you have an OP evening!

Laurie

Good afternoon.
Missed the gym this morning. :carrot:
Busy at home. Planned a bit different food plan today with more food in the am and at lunch and it seems to be helping. :smoking:

I am not feeling the usual crazy cravings that I do at this time of day. :cp: I am experimenting with what works and keeping it on fitday. I think I may have to lay off the dairy as that may be an allergy for me. I seem to feel better without it.

Starting on Saturday I am off for 11 days and am soooo looking forward to that. I am going to cut up some material to make a patchwork quilt. Never done one before. I have a velvet skirt that is of many colors. Belonged to a very large lady and so should make a nice throw. Will look for a bit more velvet to add to it. This is the kind of thing that helps keep me out of the food.
DD wants me to make her one. Well she wants this one but not! :lol3:
Hope everyone is having a good evening. I feel good just not to be craving every chocolate in sight. :yay:
Hope I can keep this up as it will lead to some success on the scale I hope.

Laurie your teas sound wonderful.

Cheers......Jude :easter:

I have enjoyed reading the posts here. I am hoping that I can keep moving forward. I really enjoy my green tea with lots of lemon.

Hey RayStar! :wel3fc:

I wish I liked green tea more--

Well folks, I'm buried here. For some reason I have many tax clients who are late this year. It's their problem, not mine, but I still have to deal with extensions and such for them.

I am eating on plan and getting to the gym. I've seen way too many tax people who are obese, and tax season is the reason. High stress, long hours, no exercise, and really wrong food are the causes.

:wave:
Jay

Raystar :welcome: I like green tea with lemon too. I add a bit of stevia though - I like my tea just a bit sweet :yes:

Jay - you are so right. Although I don't do taxes, I find the same issue with IT folk. ALL of my IT co-workers are significantly overweight, and most are obese. They marvel that I have broken they cycle. Learning to balance the work and the stress has been so very important. And, amazingly, I don't get any less done by taking time to take care of myself! That was a very hard lesson for me to learn, but probably a life-saving one!

Jude - the quilt idea sounds great! I haven't made a quilt in years. I'm hoping that getting my sewing room de-cluttered in the next few months will get me back in the mood to sew again. Maybe I should go pattern browsing in the near future - that usually sparks the bug.

Another inch of snow on the ground and more coming down. I can't begin to tell you how much I loathe snow right now. Even the cat is being lazy and sleeping on the window seat instead of prowling outside.

I'm off to get working on the "exercise" room upstairs. Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

Laurie

Another one here who adds lemon and some Splenda to green tea. Not really one of my favourite things, but not bad when you want something warm that is low in both calories and caffeine.

Yesterday was one of those terrible days when I ate just about everything that came into my line of vision. I can manage one restaurant meal but when it gets to be two in a row, I seem to lose all control. Yesterday contained far too much bread and far too many cabbage rolls and then, just to be sure I ended up an a "carb-coma", I added some absolutely delicious chocolate cake into the mix. :o So far today, things are in control. :yes:

Weather today is not quite as nice as yesterday but it is mild. Snow in the yard is melting so quickly it looks like a swamp out there. :yikes: Nice to see the white stuff leaving but a little slower melt rate would be good.

Have a great Friday, gang . . . :wave:

Good Morning all,

Cold here, but at least it's not snowing. It was so much nicer yeserday and I was hoping....

I work in a high stress area too, nursing. Ever notice how many over weight nurses there are? and doctors? it's the job related stress plus going for long periods without eating. I work 12 hour shifts and there are days i don't get a break for maybe 6 hours. At that point I am not really capable of making a good choice, just give me food! I do take my meals to work though and that helps a lot. the food I have to chose from is healthy, low calorie.

Jay, we must be in the minority here. Just can't get a taste for green tea. I wish I did too. I understand the health benefits but no matter how much I "doctor" it up, I don't like it.

Laurie, I do love tea though, and like to experament with different loose leaf tea's. I love the whole ritual of tea time.

Jude, You enjoy those 11 days off!!! You should be able to complete your quilt in that time. I am starting to sew again too after many years. My Gd got an American girl doll for her birthday and I'm going to try to make doll clothes. I got the sewing machine out yesterday (my husbands) and cut out the patern and started working. I had to call my sister a couple of times to ask "how" but it's coming back. she always wants a quilt for her 'baby" so i'm going to make one of those too.

Flo, hope the sinus infection is clearing up. I know how painful those can be and how often you get them in Michigan! Sinus capital!

freda

Hey!

the slim me and Flo, any idea why Michigan is the sinus-infection capital? Interesting...

I have noticed that about nurses--and some doctors, too, but one just sees more nurses. They are on the front lines! It really does show the relationship between stress and weight gain.

meowee... :yikes: I hope you're still under better control today!

Laurie, yeah! I also discovered that I didn't get any less done by taking time to take care of myself. I think this has to be one of the biggest obvious secrets there is! An hour at the gym or taking a walk or doing some video exercise really can be a lifesaver.

OK, time to get back to my naughty clients who waited until the last minute... Bless their hearts. I will take care of them all, no worries. However, they will pay... :s:

Jay

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

Got a great day under my belt (eating-wise) yesterday and my blood sugar is right back where it belongs. Still hanging on to about a half pound of water weight, but hopefully that will be gone soon too. Luckily my debacles are fairly short-lived. At least when they happen in restaurants or other people's homes. If I bring my triggers into my house; things do not usually get back in line so quickly. :o

It's very wet and windy around here today and all that snow is going quickly. The rain is predicted to be continuing for the entire coming week. Definitely better than snow, though. :yes:

Think I'll pop out for a few groceries and then at least get a start on my taxes. Even though they aren't due until the end of the month, I'd like to get them done this coming week so I don't have them hanging over me when my buddy Ruth arrives for the weekend of the 17th. She used to work for Revenue Canada so I don't want to have to admit to not doing my taxes on time. :lol:

Hope all the rest of you get some time to do fun things this weekend . . . :carrot:

Hi all - hope your weekend is going well!

I am on a roll this weekend.
http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/haushalt/e015.gif
I de-cluttered - not one but THREE rooms yesterday. 18 bags/boxes of "stuff" is gone (or going shortly).

Today's goal is getting the carpets shampooed. DH is working and DS2 is visiting friends. So the only traffic I have to worry about is the cat and the dog. And- since there is still snow on the ground, they won't even be tracking dirt :) Thankfully, I have a carpet steamer so the process isn't terribly cumbersome.

Now, if I could just find the energy and motivation to get the windows done (I HATE doing windows).

Enjoy your day all!

Laurie :scooter:

Hey! Must be a quiet weekend here in 3FC-Land.

Not much to report here. Laurie, decluttering sounds great. I finally got some floor cleaning in yesterday. It had been way too long. More today!

meowee, I'm glad to hear that your day went so well! :cheer2:

Now, all you northern folks, take heart! Why, in a couple of months you'll be complaining about the heat! ;)

We're having our driveway refinished next week. That may sound boring, but when it's done it will have a nice pattern in it and colors that will match the house. It's a multi-step job, and they begin by grinding out the big stain in the middle where the previous owner had a transmission fluid spill and didn't clean it up. :(

OK, I guess I'd best get with it.

Jay

:wave:

You are so right about the heat, JAY . . . :lol: . . . we canuks are never happy with our weather.

Hope everybody else is having a nice sunny day, because I'm not. :no:

I de-cluttered - not one but THREE rooms yesterday. 18 bags/boxes of "stuff" is gone (or going shortly). My admiration to you.

Decluttering is my next goal. I'm sorta doing OK at sorting a bit, but seem to be slooooooooooooooooow at actually moving the stuff out. Having separation issues, LOL.

Good Morning all. Nice to be on holidays. :hug:

It is going to be a beautiful warm day out today. I am going to haul out the capris I think. I enjoyed my day yesterday doing not much. :beach:
I cut up the skirt into strips to start. I washed the strips and had something like dredlocks coming out of the washing machine. This velvet really frays. Got it all cleaned up and hanging to dry. Not sure how to sew the seams now. A serger would be great but do not have one. Might just do the french seam but it is double the sewing. I have nothing but time. First need to cut the squares and see if I need to add some fabic.
Laurie is you are decluttering any crushed velvet send it my way!! :thanks:
As for green tea. OMG that stuff rev's me up way too much plus it just tastes like grass. I do not drink anything with caffeine in it. So just give me herb tea.
Freda good luck with the doll clothes. That is too tiny sewing for me.
I am off today to help a friend pack up her dad for the old folks home. :fr: Hope to make it to the gym later. :carrot::carrot:

Have missed a couple of days. Yesterday I did nothing productive. Well my food was not bad. Watched Marley and Me. Not a great movie but definitely a tear jerker. Thumbs down on that one.
Hope everyone has an OP day.....Jude :coffee2:

Jay - you are right of course - I WILL complain about the heat :lol: The driveway re-finish sounds like a wonderful thing to do!

Linda - we did get some sun, but not enough warmth for my tastes. I'm tired of cold :brr:

Bill - I know how it is. I have to put on my determination and resolve suit before I start the process. But, I have to laugh at myself. Every time I de-clutter and can't part with some things - the next time I go through the process I ask myself why in the world I saved "this or that". But invariably, I always part with something that I will need down the line.
However, it has taken me a long time to learn that getting rid of 72 bags/boxes of "stuff" is worth having to maybe replace something at some time in the future.

The only things that are really hard for me to get rid of are the things with memories attached. I'm getting better, but there is still room for improvement.

Jude - Does your sewing machine have a stitch that sews a straight seam and then a zig-zag to the right of it? I use that stitch a lot when I don't use my serger. My machine is almost 30 years old, so I don't even know what machines are like these days. Mine was one of the very first computerized models that Sears sold, and it has a lot of those fun type stitches available :)
No velvet in my piles, but keep your eyes open at second hand stores, church sales and yard sales. Do you have Freecycle or Craig's list up there? If so, you might want to post a request. It is spring cleaning time for lots of folks and you might get some additional items :)


I had a busy day yesterday. The carpet cleaner would not spray like it is supposed to. DH had to work all day, so no help there. It probably took me twice as long, but I did get it repaired after about 3 hours of troubleshooting and totally dismantling the thing. I found lots of advice online, and finally someone pointed me to the heater. This model is prone to develop clogs inside the heater - and sure enough - I was able to clear the clog and get it working again! So, a 5 hour job, turned into an 8 hour one. But I did get all 5 rooms shampooed and Scotchguarded :)

I'm tired, but pleased with myself. I got more done in two days than I used to get done when I took the whole week of spring break off from work. It is amazing how much more energy I have for cleaning when I'm not carrying around that extra 90+ lbs!

Hope you all had a great weekend! I've got a very busy week ahead with both church and work activities. I'm going to try to get food prepared for the week ahead so that I don't have to think too much when it comes to meals.

I got a new fitness game for the Wii this weekend (Gold's Gym Cardio) that I'm hoping will be fun. Something new and different to try ;)

Laurie :scooter:

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

Good Morning all.:wave:
Hey Jade congratulations on a grandson coming. I have no grandkids. Maybe one day.:shrug:

Thanks Laurie for the suggestions. I will look at my machine. I have an old Brother that has 12 different stitches in it. I have yet to cut my squares. Tonight I think. Then I will have an idea what I am looking at.
Laurie if I run a small zigzag down the edges then sew will that stop the fraying?

I stopped at a fabric store and they had some great velvets but they were all stretchy. They also had a quilting room. Now this is something I said I would never do but you know I find it keeps me out of the food. But matching squares just may not be my thing either. Of course DD wants a quilt or this one- not! But she may get another one. I used to sew all the time. Had once planned to be a designer. Funny when I am sewing I never have time to eat. :cbg:
Knitting is another. Sweaters anyone?? :goodvibes
My food was doing ok on the weekend till Sunday when a pizza seemed to appear on my plate. All a result of bad planning. :rollpin:

Laurie I love to hear you new energy stories I find them really motivating. Thanks. We have Craigslist so I will post a request. I will look for quilting pieces in general. Not a cheap hobby if you buy everything new. But you should have seen all the fabulous fabrics that they had in this quilting room. Lots of nostalgia prints and the tiny florals. $$$$
Better get to the gym....Judi :stir:

Linda - stay warm :brr: I'm not much liking April weather right now!

Judi - Yes, you should be able to zigzag over the edges to keep them from fraying. That is one thing I DO remember from "home ec" class. And, it does work pretty well. I do it on all of my quilts since I don't like to have large seam allowances and they need to stand up to several washings!

Knitting - ah - my hands can't handle it much any more (arthritis is not fun). I occasionally do a scarf or mittens, and I've done several pair of felted slippers. Not too many sweaters anymore. But - If I do end up having grand kids - I will probably do some special sweaters and a christening outfit.

Nothing beats good old-fashioned home made wool mittens if you ask me, so I will probably continue to knit mittens until I can't any longer!

A busy day here - everyone was back to school, so my phone rang off the hook. I did manage to sneak out for a bit and go to the blood bank. Which is an excuse to take it easy on the exercising today ;)

Gotta fly - time to make dinner!

Hope you had a good start to the week!

Laurie :scooter:

So much seems to be going on here.

Laurie and Jude- I'm so impressed by your sewing skills, defintely not one of my talents. It drives me crazy when I sew.

My sinus infection is almost gone. I tried a nasal wash, it's pretty amazing how well it works. Michigan has a lot of beautiful and wonderful things, but sinus infections are not so great. I hope to begin exercising soon now that my head is better. I'm looking forward to our Easter break later this week.

I hope everyone has a great week. I will try to post more frequently. It's always a big help staying OP.

We had five inches of snow this morning, it was really tough driving to work. I want spring.

The Final Four has been great for the City of Detroit. I sure hope MIchigan State takes it all tonight. Go State

Lori - glad you are feeling better. I hear ya on the sinuses - and allergies too! ARGH! We missed your snow, but are getting some right now - and howling winds!

http://www.vineyardvines.com/images/site1/activedit/college_collection/logos/michigan_state.gif
:crossed:

Alas, my years at MSU seem like a lifetime ago ...

:wave:

SSDD in northeastern Nova Scotia -- it's raining again. The Cormorants have returned to their favourite nesting area beside the harbour though so I finally know that Spring (and at leat one more snowstorm) is just around the corner.

Had a major run-in with Cool Whip the past couple of days and the weight and blood sugar reflected it. Things are heading back in the right direction again now. Stay away from those Frankenfoods, gang. :yikes:

See you later . . . :carrot:

OK, meowee, how did the CoolWhip make it into your house??? :chin:

It's winter again here today, too. Had to turn the heat on this morning!

I'm still buried with the work to be done... even getting extensions out is hard to do.

One of my clients somehow got the idea that she only needed to pay ONE of her FOUR estimated tax payments for the year. It's not that she's new at this, either. When I get her on the phone, I must ask, "Under what possible theory did you conclude that this was OK?" Because now she's going to owe over $5,000 in taxes on April 15. I know she's not going to be happy with that... :fr:

Couldn't sleep most of last night, and I seem to be running on adrenaline today. Sigh... :stress:

Jay

The same way the occasional jar of PB gets here :o :o :o Have to try it out every once in a long while to see if I've learned to control myself yet.

Ummm... that would be like me bringing home a bottle of scotch... :eek: ;)

Jay

Oh wow . . . good point . . . I admit to never having thought about it like that.

Thank you, JAY :hug:

Hey! :wave:

Still cold this morning. But it's supposed to warm back up again pretty quickly.

I'm back into it again... hope you all have an easy day!

Jay

:wave:

It's not raining and we may even get some sun this afternoon -- what's 'sun' anyway?

Today's excitement will be fiunally getting my taxes done -- after the first excitement of hauling the garbage out which will be a real treat not having to wade through snow to get the stuff to the curb.

Oh darn, I just saw the truck and it's only 8:20 -- they don't usually show up until at least noon. :mad: Guess I'm hanging onto the stuff for another two weeks. :cry:

I'm back -- it was just the blue bag truck (recycling; cans, bottles, papers) and I don't mind having to hang on to that. The real garbage and the compostables are now out there. After I rushed around, (definitely out of breath right now) they probably won't be back with the other truck until mid-afternoon. :lol:

Hi all - hope you are having a good day! Still mega busy this week! And now, I have to chair a personnel committee meeting at church tonight since the chairperson is unable to make it!

I got a new "game" for the Wii - Gold's Gym Cardio Shape Boxing. I think I am going to like it! I did two 10 minute segments and I'm really tired!

Still too cold to scoot here :(, but the snow is slowly melting away. I really hope that it gets warm soon!

Linda - I wish we had curb-side recycling! We have to haul all of our stuff to the center. We also take all of the church recycling, so our car gets pretty full!

Jay - don't forget to take care of yourself this week. I know the taxes have you hopping!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi gang . . . :wave:

The sun is brightly shining and it's lovely to see . . . but I am officially in a bad mood . . . finished my taxes and wrote a cheque for over $5,000 to the Canadian Revenue Agency. :mad:

At least I didn't eat anything off plan . . . yet. :lol: This happens every year since I don't believe in paying in advance if I don't have to, but that doesn't make it any easier to write the cheque. Of course, now they will be hitting my with big interim payments for the rest of this year. :shrug: Somehow you just cannot fight City Hall.

Oh yah . . . the cats are going crazy this morning and sure enough, I checked the calendar and there is a full moon tonight.

Hope the rest of you have a great Thursday. :carrot:

Meowee, dear me! :eek: I have clients who refuse to pay in advance also... but the penalties usually convince them otherwise after a couple years...

Now Laurie, when I was a child my parents got me boxing gloves and a punching bag one year for Xmas because I wanted them. The punching bag was one of those that had an upside-down bag on the end of a flexible bar, affixed to a platform that you stood on while you punched--and the "gloves" were pretty hokey--but I enjoyed them! The Wii boxing sounds like lots more fun!

flowingair, my partner tried one of those nasal rinses, and she says it's great. I have always been leery of them, but after he experience, maybe I'll try it sometime.

Where are the rest of our active folks? Can they all be off at the gym? ;)

:wave:
Jay

No penalties involved -- if they ask me for quarterly payments I make them. It's just that they usually want too much and then the next year they owe me and then they stop the quarterly payments and then the same cycle begins all over again. What I will not do is ask my payors to withhold more than is legally required from my monthly payments. Trust me, I don't break tax laws. Definitely not worth it.

Oh, I would never in a million years think that you would break any tax laws! :yikes:

You're just not that kinda gal!

Jay

Hi all - just a quick post. Still swamped with work and volunteer activities!

Jay, I'm still trying to figure out whether I need to file a new W4 because of the "stimulus" money. We got a warning note from payrolll saying that most double income families would end up owing at the end of the year. Unlike Linda, I usually try to break even so I don't have to write that check.

The whole stimulus thing is driving me nuts.
Vendors are bombarding me with email, snail mail and phone calls hoping to get a slice of the pie - yet the state says that they are gonna use most of the stimulus money to offset the deficit in the school aid fund. Grrrr...

OK, gotta get some sleep - I am definitely in need of some R&R!

Hope you had a great POP day!

Laurie

Hi everyone, I'm slowing down a bit. I have tomorrow and all next week off. YaHoo. DD 's wedding dress came in yesterday. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her size 8 dress. I hope to some day be a size 8 too, heck I'll take a size 10 olr 12 right at the moment. It was a lot of fun, so much yet to do for the wedding, but it's coming together.
I think the antibiotic I was on made me crave carbs. I'm finally back under control, but it's been a struggle. I hope to be able to get back into my exercise routine, I just couldn't do it with my headache.


:bunny: I hope everyone has a great OP weekend.:easter::easter2::egg:

Hey! That's great about the wedding dress, flo! I know what you mean about the sizes. Heck, I'd be happy to fit a 14 (petite). I hope you drop in more often now!

CD (and other U.S. folks), the IRS has an online calculator that can help figure out withholding for the fed taxes:

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html

You can also download Publication 919 if you're subject to self-employment tax, alternative minimum tax, and other taxes.

Check it out!

I have a couple more extensions to file and then I'm done for awhile. :cheer2:

Jay

:wave:

Busy day ahead and luckily the sun is shining nicely. Pretty glad to be doing Easter-like things today because Sunday is not going to be nearly as nice in the weather department.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. :carrot:

Just a fly-by post. I finally finished the presentation for tonight with an hour to spare :D

I was still waiting on permissions to use a couple Internet resources.

My new comforter came today (the pets had ravaged the old one) and I'm in a quandry. With the extra thick mattress on our bed, it is too short. I could have ordered a larger size, but then I would need to alter the bedskirt and shams. I'm thinking of adding a ruffle or something to the edge to extend it, but I'm not sure.

I like comforters vs. bedspreads because I am lazy and hate to spend a lot of time making the bed. The comforter is also a lot more forgiving regarding the pets.

Anyone have any creative ideas for making this work? Finding a giraffe print comforter wasn't terribly easy to start with, and I really do like the fabric and the set in general and would like to keep it.

Well, gotta fly - time to get ready for church.

Jay - glad that you are almost done with tax season!

Linda - trying to send you good weather, REALLY!

Lori - Fantastic news about the dress! And - you WILL be in a size 8 one of these days! You might even blow right by it down to a 6 ;)

Laurie :scooter:

Weather is deteriorating in spite of your efforts Laurie, but thanks for trying. :lol:

The good news is that both my scale numbers and my blood sugar numbers seem to have recovered from the Thursday Chinses food debacle.

I'm with you on the comforter vs spread on the bed. I'm not a ruffle person but how about a little tailored flange type of treatment picking up one of the colours in the fabric?? Some of those newer mattresses are getting so thick that my short legs have difficulty climbing into bed. :lol:

Have a great Saturday gang . . . try to stay out of the bunny patch. :yes:

Linda - good thought! I found the perfect fabric to do it too :D

Our mattress is one of the super, duper thick ones - we had to build a platform and forego the box springs because I COULDN'T get into bed without a step ladder :lol:

Glad you are back on track with minimal damage!

Gotta get back at it. Once service down, and one to go. I think I've spent over 20 hours on PowerPoint this week. And, I have a presentation due on Tuesday at work that I haven't started on. I'm be doing slide animations in my sleep if I'm not careful :lol:

Hope you all have a great day tomorrow! And for those celebrating Easter, hope you have a blessed and ON PLAN day!

Hey everybody! Quiet Easter weekend around 3FC--hope everyone is having a good one.

I've managed to start catching up on a few chores that got put aside during tax season. So that should keep me busy--We don't have much yardwork here, but there is some I need to do, and I'd better get it done before it gets much hotter!

We had our driveway refinished! It looks really wonderful now. Here's the site of the place that did it:

www.concretebeauty.com

Jay

Good Morning . . . :egg:

Jay - that looks like a really nice process to have done to the driveway! I'm thankful that ours is out back on the alley and isn't visible from the street. We did re-do the sidewalks out front a couple years ago, however. Helped the curb appeal quite a bit :)

Well, I did put a "flange" on the bedspread. It worked GREAT! It felt good to spend some time with my sewing machine again. I hemmed a couple pair of pants for DS2 while I was at it. I have a couple skirts that I cut out last summer that I never got to. I might have to put those on my weekend "to do" list. What a blessing to know that they will still fit. :D

Gotta fly - lots of calls to make to the family today. With the time difference in CA, we always call in the evening.

Hope you all have a great start to the week!

Laurie

:halfempty -- it's snowing -- but scale is being kind.

meowee, I can't believe it! :yikes: Ever thought of... moving... :s:

I've had a really good day today! Everything that needs to be done for tax season is DONE, and I can concentrate on the textbooks once again. :book2: I can write out a schedule and follow it! Amazing!

I bought some new downspout extenders so that the rain (or even the dew overnight) won't just dump onto the newly painted driveway. That will be helpful because in Florida, anything that stays damp for very long turns black.

Where did everyone go? I hope you all didn't go into sugar shock from the Easter candy. It was not a problem here--I've never liked Easter candy anyway, to tell the truth. :p

Jay

Not permanently, JAY . . . but I'm beginning to see why so many Canadians are snowbirds who flock to Florida in the Winter.

Linda - no new snow, but it was cold here today. I rode the scooter to work, and my fingers are still feeling it! I'm with ya girl - I laughed at snowbirds most of my life - now I want to join them!

Jay :congrat: on making it through tax season! Good thinking on the extenders. I bet that they will help preserve that beautiful new driveway!

I could go overboard on chocolate and jelly beans if I'm not careful - thus - I just don't buy the stuff. I keep dark chocolate around the house and plan for it - in small, controlled quantities.

Good day here - except for becoming a popsicle. Got a lot done at work. I got in a pilates workout this morning, and a shape boxing workout after work :)

Hello to all of our MIAs - we miss you!

Laurie :scooter:

Pretty little coating of white dust is covering the dirty brown grass this morning. At least the tips of grass still poking out looks greenish. :shrug:

Hi to Everyone,
would it be ok to jump on board this thread. I qualify, I am 52 and am working at dropping more than a few pounds.
I hope you all have a lovely day. It certainly is a beautiful day here in KS. Too bad it is horribly muddy out. I live on a small farm where muddy matters. ;)
Candy

:welcome: CANDY . . . glad to have you joining us . . . :hug:

Hi everyone! I have been MIA. Missed everyone :hug: Welcome Candy!!:hat:

I have had a busy week. We have had good weather and I have been down to the beach walking.:cool:
Been to the gym several times. Went shopping in the states one day and got some material for another quilt. Prices so good I could not resist. That one is in holding pattern for now. It is quite a mindless project but requires your attention. Sort of a meditation kind of hobby. :yoga: Works for me. Mind you a few times as I was cutting fabric with the rotary cutter I could see me running into a finger if I did not watch out. :D

Weight has not budged. Had too many meals out. Though it is nice it does throw me. :cofdate:
Thanks for the ideas Laurie. I have all my squares cut out and they are lying on the spare room bed. Going with the diamond shape for the square and it has come out to a pretty good size. I am going to put a black border around it and I found a nice piece for the back in a cotton in the states. I have moved the colors around till I think they are ok. Now I just have to pick it up and start sewing. I hesitate as this may be the downfall. :crossed:
But will start sewing the strips maybe next weekend and if that goes well it will be nothing to sew the strips together. It looks fabulous laying there now. But we will see.
Laurie not sure what kind of quilt you got. I know I bought a down duvet and it is a king on a queen bed. The shams sold separate so I just bought regular as did the skirt. So it worked ok. But the bed kits are out as the shams etc are always a king.
Jay your driveway place looks great. I am sure your driveway looks fabulous.
Linda I can not believe you are in the snow. Try the west coast. I have a friend in Winnipeg and she has water up to the wall of the underground parking from the Red River backing up into the Assiniboine River. :swim:

I was working in the garden yesterday. A neighbor had dirt delivered for the garden and offered me some so I hauled several pailfuls over to the back garden. I can not grow anything so maybe this will help. I need to add some plants. Going to get lots of flowers this year. The secret is to water them that is my downfall. I think it rains enough but it does not. I have some Hosta's just starting to come up and those I love. They take care of themselves.
I am back at work today. OMG I am exhausted already. We are knee deep in chocolate Easter eggs. No word of a lie. And they had a cake decorating contest while I was gone. Jeez. :censored:
So hope everyone is well and spring is almost here and for Jay....summer.
There were people down at the beach working on their tans already. Made me wish I had brought my blanket.
Gotta go cheers....jude :callme:

Candy :welcome: We LOVE new folk! I will be 52 this year :) Please send that warm weather east to us in MI! It is still cold and windy here.

Jude :hug: Eating out is hard for me too! I can do it once a week and maintain. Any more than that and I have to make a concerted effort to cut back somewhere or else :yikes: Thus, maintaining is GOOD!

Stick to your plan, otherwise all tha chocolate could be a problem :yes: We missed you, girl! Glad you are back!

Jay - Happy Tax Day! I know you must be thrilled that you are back to editing and the tax work is done for a while!

Good day here - way too busy. Usual work day, then I did a presentation at the business college in town regarding PDAs - how I use them, and how we use them in the school district. From there - straight to church for an administrative council meeting, and finally home at 9:30.

On the bright side, no opportunity to overeat. And - I did slide in a shape boxing workout with DH for 45 minutes :D

I brought home potted tulips from church (parishioners can purchase them in memory of someone for the Easter services and then bring them home afterward to plant in their gardens). The cat is very excited to have potted plants in the house. I can't wait to see what morning brings ...

Have a great day all!

Jude--good to see you back! :hug:

I have to say, you quilters are a lot more ambitious and skilled than I can claim to be. Sewing was just never my thing, although the times I did make something it turned out OK.

Hey Candy, glad to see you! Jump on in! What kind of farm do you have?

Thanks for the happy tax day wishes, CD. All my clients have been taken care of--either filed on time or filed extensions. :D

I have an interesting proofreading project. It's about the role of food in politics in Morocco. Yeah, kind of a specialized work. This is for a university press--I get to read a lot of scholarly works for them. A nice diversion from editing biology, but there's some of that, too.

Food has been OK--but I did have a couple days where I went over my limit, and that stalled my loss. I'm happy to say it was not Easter candy that was the culprit, though--just because I think that is such a waste of calories. :p Instead it was too much of usually weight-loss-friendly foods. Stress eating. :stress: But, things are getting evened out again. I'm starting another 4-week goal today.

And here it is, the middle of the week!

:wave:
Jay

Thank you for the kind welcomes, I feel so special. :)
I have decided that this is my year for finally getting my weight under control. I have been a member of 3 chicks for a while, reading the boards and posting occasionally. I always hate to just jump in, kind of like interrupting a conversation. But I decided that it would be nice to get to know some of the nice people on these boards. So I interrupted you. :)
I have gained a lot of weight through the years, starting after I had my first child, I have four children so I really packed the pounds on.
Two years ago my husband left and quite honestly this improved my life. Even though he did this in a crummy way, no warning and taking all our money, I feel like I have been given a new life. My children are grown, ages 18-24. They still live at home with me. My two daughters and I are now in college. I decided I was going to need a way to support myself so two years ago I began taking online classes from a KS college. I now have two years left and then I will have my degree in education. My daughter Josey is going to school to get her bachelors degree in nursing and daughter Tobey will have her degree in education in two years too. We live very frugally. My son's are keeping everything else going while we go to school. Before my husband left I had a little homestead here on our 5 acres. I had huge gardens, milk goats, milk cow, poultry, bees, and I also homeschooled the kids. So the boys do most of the chores, plus cut wood for our heat, and are starting a woodworking shop. We are all lacto-ovo vegetarian so no butchering going on here. Cannot handle that.
Sorry I went on so long. I hope everyone has a great day. I have some studying to do, tonight I am going with the kids to an Arlo Guthrie concert. It doesn't get much better than that.

Take care
Candy

:wave:

I'm here, just not feeling all that great today.

Jay, Glad to hear you have a new goal set, and that you get to do some unusual editing. Sounds like a fun project, actually! I know that - with your determination, you will be right back in loss mode!

Linda - sorry you aren't feeling well - hope it is short-lived! Spring is coming :D

Candy :woohoo: another vegetarian ;) I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for 27 years. Our kids have remained vegetarians as well :)
You picked a good field - we really need good teachers right now. I work for a school district as a techie, and I'm hoping to retire in the relatively near future (4-7 years).
So glad you jumped in. And - for the record - this is a great forum with a lot of very nice and very smart and very supportive chickies. You couldn't have landed in a better spot.
The concert sounds great! I've never seen Arlo in person, but we have some of his music - I bet his concerts are VERY entertaining!

Whew - good day here. Work was productive and the weather is glorious. I was able to ride the scooter (it was a balmy 33F when I left for work). It was so nice that DH and I started raking the gardens when we got home. So, my exercise was 3 hours of raking and garden clean-up. I am absolutely dog-tired!
Yet, I am ecstatically happy because I painfully remember being able to work only 30 minutes or so in the not so distant past. What a blessing to be able to be so physical again!

Hope you are having a good evening!

Hi there. Working tonight. Food is lousy this week. Grrr. :mad: Really feeling like I am never going to break out of this cycle. Not sure what my problem is. Did not make it to the gym today as I slept in. But will get there tomorrow.
Actually feel like I am getting a cold. I never get sick so not sure what that is. :(
Weather is lovely though. Glad this is a short week. Feeling very frustrated with myself.
Wow you have quite the story to tell Candy. Sounds like quite the family you have there. Good for you on going back to school. :congrat: And wonderful that the kids are there to keep things running. Good luck in all of what you do.
Great that CD has a vegan ally!!! :cheer3:
Not much to say today so will start again tomorrow. Trying not to be to hard on myself but I am getting tired of the struggle. Not sure who I think I am kidding...:rollpin:
It is stress eating. Maybe everyone can share on what they do rather than stress eat???
have a great evening......Jude :running:

Hey jude!

I find that skipping the workout or at least a walk when I'm under stress is a recipe for stress eating. Sometimes I end up doing some stress eating anyway, but at least if I've been physically active, the "damage" isn't too bad.

Planning is always a help: A list of snacks I can have that will work with my program. It can be dangerous to be in a state where you're just looking in the cupboards or the fridge for the unspecified "it" that will make you feel better.

We have another concert on Sunday. This one is classical music.

By the way, folks, here is a rather wonderful YouTube video from the British version of American Idol, Britain's Got Talent, featuring a woman named Susan Boyle. You have to hear the sound, so if you're at work, use headphones?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&NR=1

Jay

Hi there . . . :wave:

Busy day today -- spent the morning at the hospital with a friend -- have to go back this evening for my own chest x-ray -- as usual, the place was a zoo. :lol: At least it is sunny, but windy and barely above the freezing mark. To top it off, I`m still not feeling too great. Oh well.

Oh yes, JAY . . . I saw her on the news last night . . . she has the most fantastic voice. Apparently she even made Simon smile happily.

Well got to get moving and shaking -- things to do and places to go. Ruthxxx (one of the other mods) is coming here for the weekend. I picked up theatre tickets (local amateur production of the Vagina Monologues) for Saturday night and now I`m off to another neighbouring town to get tickets for a local dog show on Sunday.

See you all later. :carrot:

Jude - stress eating:
1. exercise regularly - it is a must
2. keep low cal, low damage foods ready to go. It is hard to do too much damage with baby carrots and broccoli slaw ;)
3. Hot tea, I make a cup of hot tea and drink it first. It usually takes the edge off the stress and often keeps me from eating at all.
4. Relaxation, prayer, meditation - whatever works for you.
5. Take a bath - by the time you are done, you will feel better, the urge will have passed.
6. Stick some gum in your mouth, and head outside - away from the food.


Jay - thanks for posting the link - I saw her this morning, but just a snippet. Watching the whole clip was priceless! I don't follow Idol, but I've seen enough clips to enjoy seeing Simon's face :lol:

Linda - let us know how you like the theater production. It is on my short list of things to see.

A good day overall, but I had a flat on my scooter :( I don't have the strength to get the tire off the rim (or the right tools) so DH is gonna have to change it for me. Thankfully DS2 was home when I called and he came and picked me up. He even went back later and got the scooter for me. It IS a blessing to have him home with us right now :D

Gotta fly - still some daylight out there - more gardents to clean :yes:

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I am sick today with a cold. I never get sick but someone here has been hacking and coughing all week. :rolleyes:
Great.
Feel tired and sore. Looking forward to a peaceful weekend.
Did not make it to the gym this morning. Tried to sleep but the phone rang twice.
Drinking lots of water and running to the bathroom...:carrot:
Talk tomorrow.....Jude

Good Morning.

Think I'll be a little scarce around here for the rest of this month. My cousin, Jamie (we've been as close as brother and sister all our lives) finally lost a long battle with cancer yesterday.

Now, as I mentioned before, Ruthxxx is arriving today to spend the weekend with me. Guess I'll try to get on the same flight as she is on for the trip to Ontario on Monday morning. This should time out okay because his oldest son told me last night that there will be an autopsy to verify cause of death (something to do with the fact that he was a fireman). He will then be cremated and then there will be a memporial service. Liam didn't think anything much would be happening before next week anyway.

So, if you need assistance and can't find me, just scream for another Mod and someone will show up -- probably Ruthxxx.

See you soon . . . :grouphug:

Hi to all and Welcome Candy,
I really messed up over Easter and regained a couple of pounds. I liked the stress suggestions, something I really need right now.

Jay you're right I need to post more often. I'm going to make that a goal this month. Listening to everyone's ideas always give me a boost in the right directions.

I've been cleaning out the yard and it's been wonderful getting out in the spring weather. I'll be back soon. Lori

Linda - our prayers go with you! We will miss you, but I hope you have a good visit with Ruth and with family!

Lori - I hope you do post more - we DO miss you when you are gone! Isnt' this weather glorious? I got more yard work done today as well :)
Don't fret over the stress eating or the Easter lbs. Just get back at it, surround yourself with healthy things and keep moving. You will be OK!

DH fixed my flat tire today, so I am back scooting :) I put the patio back together after work, so we had our first fire in the firepit tonight. It really does feel like spring has finally sprung around here :)

I'm going to try to get some more spring cleaning done this week - and pack for the trip of course :)

I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a while!

Hope you are all having a good start to the weekend!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi Everyone,
Meowee, I am very sorry to hear of your loss. I have lost too many people to cancer.
I hope that you have a safe trip. You are in my thoughts.
Take care of yourself
Candy

Hi all - hope you are having a good Saturday. Just a fly-by today. Spring cleaning is still on my weekend agenda. And, switching out my woolens for my spring attire :)

Hey everybody,

I spent the morning trimming all the bushes... Then of course raking everything up. I may or may not get to pressure washing a side of the house tomorrow, but I think my hard work is all done for today. :faint:

Anyone catch Susan Boyle on Larry King Live? If not, you can find plenty of videos of it on youtube. She sang a different song--and did it well, even without accompaniment!

I have a massage scheduled for this afternoon. heh heh heh... Lovely... I highly recommend massage for stress reduction (jude, take note!). I often just fall asleep on the table I get so relaxed.

Enjoy the weekend! :broc:

Jay

Sunday Morning
It is a lovely morning in Kansas today. Feels like spring. When I took the dogs out I noticed the apple trees in our orchard are about to bloom. The pear trees have a nice showing of flowers already. Such a nice time of year.

Jay, I will have to check out YouTube because I did not see Susan Boyle on Larry King. She is incredible.

Yesterday I had a great day with exercise and eating. Today I plan to do the same.
For now I am off to write a paper for a class. Only a few more weeks and this semester will be over. I am taking summer classes but at least will be something different.
Have a great day
Candy

Jay - LOL, your post was perfectly timed. I've never had a massage, though my friends RAVE about their benefits. There is a special through one of the B&Bs on our trip, to add on a massage at the spa next door. I may just have to take advantage of it while DH is at his training session ;)
So - thanks for posting when you did - you pushed me over the fence :)

Candy :woohoo: You stick to that plan! Consistency makes so much difference! In some ways, the first few lbs are the hardest, and you have those behind you. I found that I kind of got into a rhythm of eating and exercise as the journey progressed. Now, it is just routine - and my old style of eating seems foreign. It is great that you are in the next decade (270s) :D

Well, gotta get packed for the trip. I'm looking forward to it, even if they have SNOW in the forecast - even down-state. :brr:
I'm altering my packing somewhat. DS2 wants the Rendezvous so he can help one of his friends move home from college. Thus, we are taking my Tracker - a SIGNIFICANTLY smaller vehicle. We will be taking advantage of our city destinations by stocking up on staples at Trader Joe's and Sam's Club - so there won't be a lot of room for much else.

I'm hoping for sporadic Internet access this week, and I will check in when I can. I will be thinking of all of you this week - and I hope that each of you has a fun, POP week, that is balanced with work, play, and renewal!

Hi to all, I did a lot of cleaning and yard work this weekend. It was great getting out in the warm weather. I love spring in MI. I'm watching my flowers peek through the soil, everyday getting a little bigger. I can't wait to see the flowers bloom and the trees to show off their blossoms. I really ache from all the yard work. I think it's a good thing to get different muscles moving.

Meowee, Sorry about your cousin, it's so tough to lose family and friends.

have a great Monday.

Hi Everyone,
Another lovely day here today.

CountingDown, thanks for the kind words and advice. Seeing how you are PAST your goal weight I am definitely listening. (By the way, I am so proud of you!) Have fun on your trip. Maybe it won't snow. When do you get spring up North?

It is so nice today, and I have NO school works due. (Yes!) So I think I will get my exercise out of the way and spend the majority of the day in the garden. So far all we have in is 50 each of onions, cabbage and broccoli and about 20 lbs of seed potato. I am behind to say the least.

Have a great day.
Candy

Hi folks!

We may be getting some rain today--I sure hope so! :cheer2:

I've gotten step class out of the way and am heading toward lunchtime.

What kind of potatoes do you grow, Candy? Years ago I had a small garden and I grew Purple Peruvians.

Sorry to say the concert last night was mostly boring. Sigh... Sometimes they are like that. Out of three pieces, only one was memorable, and they played it first. But, the next one should be fun--a pops concert of Broadway hits.

I hope that the media let the Susan Boyle thing simmer down a bit--she's going to need to practice for the competition!

CD, do have a massage! You may find that they are addictive, but at least they are low cal. ;)

Hey flowingair! I know what you mean about yardwork. I trimmed all the bushes over the weekend and am sore in many places, even though I go to the gym. Tain't fair!

I'm sticking to my plan... I hope the scale has some good news soon.

Jay

Hi all Just a quick fly by. I had a great OP day. One down and many more to go. Have a great Tuesday, everyone.

(Looking around) Hmmm... Sure is empty here without CountingDown and meowee...

:wave: Hi, flo!

I thought we had more regular posters than this. What's happened? Did you all give up and go to the fast food place? ;)

Jay

Oh Jay you are soooo funny!! I have been sick as a dog since last Thursday. Some sort of cold. Left work early yesterday and just went home and crawled in bed with socks on and watched Dancing with the stars. Takes no energy at all to watch that. Then woke up cause the heat came on!! Jeez. Thought I was melting then. :cool:

Hey CD hope you are having a great time. And I second the massage. I have a guy that I go to Jay on occasion. But he does such a deep massage. Not to say I don't love it at the time.

Linda sorry to hear about your cousin as well. That is tough.

Flowing keep up the good work. Yard work is tough. I was out fighting with a fence that is falling down this morning. And I live in a strata!! Some things are just easier to do yourself. Every one in this strata is about 90 and getting anything done or the money for anything is painful. One old guy on the council decided to touch up the fence but with a different color. :fr:
I tried to talk to him but he just hung up on me. I do not seem to have a rapore with that generation. Or is just might be them not sure. :shrug:
I am taking a time out to cool off. :hot:

No weight loss but no gain either. When I am sick I do not eat much but what I do sometimes is not that great.
I started to sew my quilt. It looks neat. This is a new experience for me and sewing is a huge distraction for me.
I am just starting to feel better now. I am at work and crashed on my dinner break for 30 minutes and that seems to have helped.

Candy your garden sounds great. I can not even get chives to grow. :D

So I hope everyone has a great week. CD we don't have a Trader Joes in Canada but I went to one in Bellingham. It was small. But had such interesting stock.
Have a good evening......Jude :judge:

Jay LOL-:lol: Fast Food is not interesting to me. Not enough flavor.

Now a chocolate fountain could really excite me. :nono: I'm staying on target and getting exercise in everyday this week. I hope to be posting some losses soon.

Hey Jude I hope you'll post some pictures of yor quilt when you finish, your quilt sounds wonderful.

Well, back to work-I have some more papers to check tonight.

Later...

Hey! :wave:

Jude, sorry you've been sick! :( Feel better, OK? When you get further along on the quilt, we want pictures!

flow, the last time I was near a chocolate fountain I ate one (1) strawberry. I was very strong that day. And you know what? I don't miss the dozens I could have eaten at all!

Hope CD and meowee are OK. Maybe they'll check in soon. CD, if you're reading this, you don't have to have a "deep" massage if you don't want one. Massage should not hurt to the point where you tense up--if that starts happening, tell the massage therapist to ease off. They do not know how you are feeling, and you do have to tell them what you want. (This from one who has been a "massage sponge" for many, many years...)

Spare me from "old guys" who want to help out. :fr: What's a strata, Jude?

See ya--it's lunch time. :hungry:

Jay

Hi, Where is everyone? I've been very busy again, but I've kept up on my exercise and making good choices.

I'll have to remember the next time I see a chocolate fountain to follow your lead and eat one strawberry.

Have a great day!

Hi all. Whenever I see something like a chocolate fountain or communal dip etc it just puts me off everyone having their fingers in it. Do not do pot lucks either. Just turns me off.

A STRATA!!! I live in what we call here a townhouse. You may call them condos. I have my own home but it is attached to another home. There are 24 in all and they are all ranchers and duplexs. It is very nice but there is a council running the show as it is all on communal land.
Funny you should ask cause I have been online all night looking at houses to buy. Just a nice little 2 bedroom rancher. Then I would own the land and maintain my own grounds etc. My townhouse is equal in value to a house. There were just no decent houses available when I bought.

I was moving out of a house with a pool that I owned. I sold it myself without a realtor. Then I had 3 months to buy before I had to move and there was nothing in the area. I had to put my stuff in storage and move in with a friend as I had 2 dogs at the time. So after 6 weeks fo that this townhouse came up and so I thought oh may as well downsize a bit. Let someone else do all the work. Except this place is full of quite old people and they do not want to spend any money etc.
The guy I was dealing with is 90. Now his generation just does not seem to like my type A personality. Oh well.

But it always comes back to haunt you. I always seem to be head and shoulders above the crowd. I have never really liked the strata living part. It is gated which is nice and is a beautiful place but we pay strata fees of $240/month and that covers all the lawns etc. Hence I should not be fighting anyone over $20 worth of wood to fix a fence.

As it has turned out I am going out on the weekend to get the wood and some paint and do it myself. They will pay the bill. I am tired of people doing a half a**'d job. Not too sure if I want to stay in this situation. There are tons of houses selling right now and prices are great. But I would also have to sell. I am getting to an age that all this is such a drag. It is a big job to move.
I would hire someone to cut the grass and that would be all the maintenance I would really have to worry about. I have owned my own home for years. I just feel a little overwhelmed thinking about the packing and moving part.
It could be a move backward instead of forward. I will give it some thought.

So that in a nutshell is a strata. Your opinion???
Cheers....Jude:carrot:

Hey! How's everyone? Nice to see you checking in, flow! meowee and CD are off at different things... I don't know where our other folks are. Maybe they really did jump the fence... ;)

hijude, yeah, condo is what we call those things here in the states. I live in a condo association, and they have the same problems everywhere, I think. At least this one has a professional management company, so that the board of directors isn't making decisions about the details of how work gets done.

Prior to moving here, we lived in a co-op, which was somewhat similar. The board was doing the management, having decided we didn't need to pay a manager. The result was lots of cheap or volunteer labor to do jobs that should have been hired out to reputable people. I was on the board for awhile, but it was a constant fight with the "older generation" and I finally burned out and quit.

Here at the new condo, I stay out of things. ;)

I'm just not up to having to arrange for lawncare and the other yard work that a house would entail--that's one part of condo associations I like. I still have some outdoor work to do, but nothing like on the house we had in Massachusetts. All in all, this place is OK. We haven't had to fight with anyone over anything. (knocking wood.) I figure that I'd still be paying as much per month for the services I'd need for my own house. And, we have access to a pool and hot tub that we don't have to maintain, and a clubhouse with a library, group events if we care to participate. (I don't so far.)

Moving is never fun. We moved here in 2007, and that almost did us in. The packing was never ending. I am determined not to collect things any more! Gosh, when I first moved to San Francisco years ago, everything I owned fit in my car... those days are gone, never to return!

See ya later!
Jay

Nothing crankier than retired old men!! :yikes:

Today was a good day. Decided to take some control and get some help with my eating issues. Went to see a dietician and got some ideas on a food plan and a follow up appointment in two weeks. They also have a Foods and Moods class and I enrolled into that. And an evening on Stress Management that includes the whole food thing.
These classes are in May so am looking forward to that. Right now I am going to try and keep a food journal. I have never been successful cause if I eat something I should not then I won't right it down. It is not that I am closet eating :D but more that I do not need someone to read it and say "well what is this all about?"

But I am going to try a little harder at the whole journal thing. I know what to eat and not eat, I just don't seem to be able to put down some things.

So I have my piles of papers all ready and the whole goal listing thing going on. I will do my best and will see how this works for me.

Have a great evening everyone......Jude :balloons:

Good morning Jay (JayEll) and everybody -

Appreciate the discussion about condo boards since I'm lightly looking them over for after I retire. Yep, in a few short years I'll fit, LOL:Nothing crankier than retired old men!!

This weekend's choice is to climb a short hill (we call a mountain around here) or shop for an elliptical trainer. Shopping is the wiser long term choice - DW needs it for her knee - but it does smart a bit to trade real exercise for potential exercise.

Hey Bill! :wave:

I hasten to clarify that when Jude and I are talking about "cranky old men," we are referring to the WWII/Korean War generation, and not the Vietnam War generation! ;) In other words, guys old enough to be our fathers who sometimes act as though they are! :lol:

More tips about condo living--don't get overly involved in how things are run, at least in the first several years. This is a mistake that many make. You move in, everything seems wonderful, and they always need volunteers. Speaking as one who has been there, you can find yourself having a "job" you never intended to have, and one that you hate.

Other than myself (I'm not retired, btw), I saw retired guys become so completely immersed in condo business that they seemed headed for a heart attack or a divorce, whichever came first! And the gals were often just as involved, although they tended to take things less seriously.

Well, it's Friday, and I don't have to work much this weekend. Yay!

Jay

Good morning! I'm out to do some yard work right now and then am cranking up my pressure washer and thinking of Jayell. :lol: Have a good and active weekend, chickies.

Nothing crankier than retired old men!! :yikes:


Glad this old man just has the day off :)

tough bunch here.....

Hey Ruthie!!! :wave: :hug:

I'm powerwashing as well this weekend! I'll think of you...

Hey EZ! :wave:

Jay

Hi to the men! Hope I did not ruffle any feathers and like Jay says this is your fathers generation.
Hope everyone is looking forward to a great weekend. I know I am as I am still part of the working masses.

Hi all - I'm HOME :D
I missed everyone! I read through the posts, but I'm way too behind on everything to do personals. I did appreciate the condo discussion - you never know what the future brings.

The trip was fun. My presentation went well. We had glorious weather for much of the week, so we were able to do a lot of walking. Hopefully that will offset SOME of the calories. The B&Bs were really nice - very different from each other. We hit it off with the owners of the second one - so we ended up booking a room next month for our Chicago trip :)

Gotta fly - just found out that my PowerPoint person for tomorrow can't do the rest of the service - AND - I need to liturgist for the 8:30 service as well. Looks like the rest of tonight will be prep for tomorrow.


Laurie :scooter:

Where is everyone?

Our weather is rainy and cold - but at least it isn't SNOW!

Getting caught up with chores - I love going away, but it sure is difficult getting everything done when I get back. :yes:

Church went well today, and I got the media stuff all done in time :)

Gotta change my ticker :( It seems that too many B&B breakfasts caught up with me. I'm back on track and gonna get this pesky pound and a half back off!

Hope you had a good Sunday! Back to laundry!

Laurie

I'm here, CD! :wave:

Did some pressure washing yesterday, as promised--and then found out that I shouldn't have because of the drought regulations. :o I hope no one turns me in or I'll have to pay a fine. Next time I'll check first! :chin: But the house looks great on that side. It hadn't been washed in who knows how long--before we owned it, anyway.

I guess everyone else wandered away for the weekend!

I did get to go swimming on Friday, though! And relax in the hot tub. Ahhh... Taking advantage of the window between it being too chilly and the hot days of summer here, when it rains in the afternoons.

Have a good evening!

Jay

Hey Ruthie!!! :wave: :hug:

I'm powerwashing as well this weekend! I'll think of you...

Hey EZ! :wave:

Jay

:wave: Hi Jay...powerwashing? How dirty were you?

Hi to the men! Hope I did not ruffle any feathers ......

Of course not! I was just a little cranky.....;)

Where is everyone?

You were the one that was gone! ;)

Church went well today, ......

Doesn't it always?! :)

Huh... trust EZ to kill a thread! ;)

Gosh, EZ, the things I could say about powerwashing... but I won't... Because I have class, doncha know? :lol:

No one has fined me yet... I'm watering right now, and it is my correct day to water, and it's the correct time. I'm tryin' to be good!

Who knew that April would be over so fast? :dunno:

I went to the dentist today, and I'm going to need a couple of crowns. :( Soon. These days they have this neat camera wired to a flat screen display that can show you your teeth close up. :yikes: And yes, you can see why work is going to be needed.

Sigh.

How is everyone doing? Tell me you haven't all given up on your programs! :cheer2:

Jay

Hi all - doing well here :)
Crazy busy at work - being gone for a week has its disadvantages!
DH got the rest of my exhaust system fixed today. And - the fixed flat on my scooter didn't stay fixed. The new tire liners arrived, so hopefully I will be back on the road on Wed. :D

I'm currently in my usual post-vacation funk. I am more contemplative than usual and trying to figure out a way to get more balance in my life. I started by taking a nice long bath tonight - of course a lot of chores didn't get done ;)

My eating is back on track, and I'm expecting that extra lb. to be gone soon. I did shape boxing after work, and I found that I actually missed it! All the walking on vacation was good, but that upper body stuff really is necessary!

Jay - sorry about the crowns. I have 5 :( They really aren't all that bad, just the expense of it all :yikes:

Water restrictions are foreign to us here. I only remember one in all of my years here in northern MI. DH and I are seriously considering altering our landscape to need virtually no additional water, and no mowing either ;) Still in the planning phase ...

Hope everyone had a good start to the week! Time for Wii Sports :) Gotta fly ;)

Hi to all, I'm trying to catch up on everyone's posts. I had a busy weekend, my DD's shower. I was so busy with the preparations and exhausted after the event. I loved seeing relatives and friends I haven't seen in a long while. It went well. I made some poor food choices, but I'm back on track today. I want to be thinner for the wedding in June. I'm running out of time. Talk to everyone soon.

Hi Everyone,

The May Accountabiltiy Thread has been started. Come join. Make a commitment for next month and keep track of your progress.

See you there,

Lynn

Hi, Lynn! Thanks! :wave:

More of same here... I've been up on the roof with my leaf blower, cleaning out the rain gutters now that the oaks have stopped dropping leaves and flowers. One more day should do it. (I have to wait for my blower batteries to recharge! :lol:)

Jay

Lori - good for you, getting back at it! You can still drop a few before the wedding! Just plan, plan, plan. Busy wedding prep is tough otherwise!

Jay - I'm tired just reading your posts! You are inspiring me to get some of my outdoor stuff done. It is a slow go, but I am getting there. I need to stop traveling on my vacations and plan a working one - at home. Then again ...

The scooter is back on the road :) Hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow so I can actually ride it! I am missing the wind in my hair and the purr of the motor :yes:

Hope you have a fun and OP "hump day" tomorrow!

Laurie :scooter:

Hellooooo!

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather - step away from the barbecue sauce and s'mores ;)

We MUST be an ACTIVE group these days :yes: But, I miss everyone.


Laurie

Hey CD! :wave:

I dunno... maybe this thread has run out of steam? It's been running for almost two years, I think.

Maybe we should just let it drift to a halt... No use beating a "dead thread." ;)

Jay

Hi everyone. Glad to hear you are all doing well. Nice to have you back Laurie. :hug:Glad you had a nice time. Travelling is hard on the food plan though.
I have been plugging along here. Been getting to the gym on a pretty regular basis. Still struggling with staying OP. No one can do it but me though so I need to work on that.:carrot:
We are having fabulous weather here on the west coast. Sun is shining.
Jay you certainly are handy with the power tools. Not too sure about being up on the roof though. I no longer have to do that as the condo people hire people to do that.
But I am repairing a fence and putting some paint on it. Tired of it not getting done. May get to it this weekend. Been too busy in the mornings and am making the gym a priority.
Hey flowingair good luck staying OP. You will be so glad you did when the big day arrives and you just feel that much better.;)
Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday. Where did all the men go??

Cheers....Jude

Hi, Jude,

I live in a manufactured home community, and we are all individually responsible for those types of chores since we all own our homes. It's not bad being on the roof because they aren't steeply pitched. One just has to be careful to place the ladder properly--that's the biggest danger.

I'm feelin' it today, though--especially after the elliptical later in the afternoon. I'm going to skip step class this morning because I still have some raking to do later.

Jay

Jay - you practice what I am still trying to do regularly - put more activity into my daily schedule so that my workouts can just fine tune the muscles that I haven't worked through everyday living. I'm still a work in progress on this goal :yes:

Jude - it is maddening isn't it - when you realize that you and you alone are responsible for what goes in your mouth - and that your brain just doesn't like to get with the program when it comes to staying on plan?

I still struggle with it sometimes - even though I've been doing this for almost two years. Hang in there - progress, not perfection is the goal!

Good day here - I'm actually proud of me. I finished a meeting at 4 p.m. Normally, I would have gone back to the office - and once there, spent another couple hours at work. Expecially since this is DH's night to work late. But - I didn't. I came home and grabbed a snack and worked out. Now some time for quiet reading and meditation and "balance time". Guess you CAN teach this OLD DOG some NEW tricks :D

Yes - progress - not perfection is my goal ;)

Hope you have a GREAT Friday! I'm looking forward to the weekend!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi just a quick note to say I have tendonitis and typing is a pain literally. Be back as soon as the swelling goes down...Jude :(

Hi all, Hope everyone's busy. I know I've been really busy and lots of issues at work. Hopefully, things will quiet down soon. This swine flu scare is getting scary. I hope it ends soon. Talk to everyone soon. Lori

Hey folks,

Come on over to the new thread!

Jay