[MELODY525]

NAIROBI!!! CAN WE GO THERE IN NOVEMBER????
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT PLACE TO BE AND WE'LL BE NEEDING WARM THEN TOO!!

CEEJAY~ YOU'LL GET THOSE 2 LBS OFF IN NO TIME!! ESPECIALLY WITH YOUR EXERCISING. HOW ARE THEY GOING ANYWAY??? GET LOTS OF R&R IN TEXAS!!

HAPPY~ HOPE THE BOOK IS FINISHED THEY BETTER NOT ASK YOU TOO MANY QUESTIONS!! I ALWAYS HATED BOOK REPORTS IN SCHOOL! GOOD LUCK WITH WW AGAIN. I SEEM TO REMEMBER YOU WERE VERY HAPPY WITH IT THEN. I FIGURED WHILE EVERYONE WAS STILL LOOKING FOR MR GOODBAR, I WOULD LOOK FOR IGOR!!! GOTTA LOVE PULLED PORK!!! :hungry2:

MEADOW!!! GET THEE TO THE TAX OFFICE PRONTO!!! MAYBE YOU'RE MISSING A FREE REFUND!!

CARLA~ I WOULD LOVE THE PAGE OF FLUSH STUFF OR WHATEVER IT WAS. E-MAIL AWAY THANK YOU! WHO KNOWS...MAYBE IT WOULD WORK!! HOPE THE KITTIES GET WELL SOON. <--FOR THEM AND FOR YOUR POCKETBOOK!!!! WTG ON THE LOSS. LET US ALL PRAY IT STAYS OFF!!! YOU MIGHT BE ON A GREAT ROLL FOR SPRING!!! SEND YOUR SCALE FAIRY HERE WHEN YOU ARE THRU WITH HER

PAINTER~ THE MEN ARE STILL LAUGHING THIS MORNING. LOTS OF PATS ON THE BACK AND GUFFAWING GOING ON. MEN CAN BE SUCH SILLIES BUT THEY SENT ME OFF TO THE MALL WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE. I AGREE WITH YOU....I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE WHO GOT COLD WATER THROWN RIGHT INTO THEIR KISSER THAT DIDN'T CRY, SCREAM, YELL, GET DEPRESSED ETC BEFORE MOVING ON AND DEALING WITH WHATEVER THE SITUATION WAS THAT AROSE WITHOUT WARNING. TOTALLY BLISS PEOPLE DON'T SHARE THE NEGATIVE SIDEOF WHAT HAPPENED AND IN MY MIND ARE FULL OF CRAP. IT'S NOT A NATURAL PROCESS TO BE ECSTATIC WHEN HANDED BAD NEWS. DO THEY THINK WE ARE FIOOLS?? OH MISS PAINTER WOMAN...HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW??? LOL I WAS IN A BOOKSTORE AND THOUGHT OF YOU AND HUBBY!

SUZI~ GOOD TO SEE YOU! YOUR OUTING SOUNDED LIKE A LOT OF FUN. HATS AND ALL!! HOPE NZ FOR EASTER WILL BE ANOTHER GREAT TIME. GOOD LUCK WITH THE PARENTS. SOMETIMES I FORGET JEN IS 39 BUT I CUT THE UMBILICAL CORD A LONG TIME AGO!! WILL SEND GOOD THOUGHTS FOR A GRAND TIME!!

WELL CHICKIES...I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME AT THE MALL. DECIDED TO USE MY GIFT CARDS FOR THE HOUSE INSTEAD OF FOR CLOTHES. I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH RIGHT NOW...BESIDES, WHERE THE "F" DO I GO?????
SO I GOT A TOASTER OVEN, SHOWER CADDY, TOWELS FOR KITCHEN AND BATH, SHEETS. BLANKETS, PILLOWS, POT HOLDERS, TABLECLOTH, PLACEMATS, BATH STUFF IN LEMON, MAKEUP, A 3PC SPRING CAPRI SET FOR JEN IN BROWN AND PINK...VERY CUTE. HAD A GREEAT DAY AND IT HARDLY COST ME A CENT!! TWO MORE MALLS AND I WILL FINISH THE CARDS.
ON A MORE HEADY NOTE....I AM GLAD YOU ARE COMING OVER HERE JOY. I FEEL THIS YEAR IS SOME KIND OF "DEFINING MOMENT" TYPE OF YEAR. I AM NOT SURE IF THAT IS THE RIGHT WORD BUT I KEEP GETTING THE FEELING THAT THIS YEAR IS IMPORTANT. MORE THAN ANY OTHER. MAYBE I AM CRAZY. crazy: SOMEHOW IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BUILDING UP TO SOMETHING. SIGH
WELL WE SHALL SEE WHAT THE REST OF 2007 HAS TO OFFER US CHICKLETTES!!
OH.....THE BOSS FROM THE DPW WAS HERE, PULLED ME ASIDE AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE SNOW REMOVAL OR "THE LACK THEREOF" I SHOULD SAY. DON'T THINK IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. WE ARE FRIENDS AGAIN.
HE SAID I WILL BE DEAD BEFORE I RETIRE AND I REALIZE HE IS RIGHT!!!
I AM TIRED AND IN NEED OF A SHOWER. FOOD SHOPPING IS TOMORROW SO I BETTER GET A MOVE ON. SEE YA TOMORROW NIGHT!

[MELODY525]

MADCAT~ I JUST FOUND YOU! SOMEHOW I SCROLLED BACK BUT MISSED YOUR POST. HOPE THE TAXMAN DOES HIS BEST AND MAKES A GREAT MAGICAL RETURN!!!
I AM GOING TO STICK WITH MAINTAINING FOR ANOTHER MONTH AND THEN MAYBE TRY SOMETHING NEW.
SOAK UP THAT SUN CHICKIE!!! CHASE AWAY THE OLD WINTER GERMS!!!!

[PainterWoman]

Mel: Congrats on your shopping spree. I had one at Sears because they hooked up with Lands End. Got WONDERFUL warm-up pants/tops and hoodies at 50% off. I could live in them all the time. I'm still fat, but at least I match. And look like maybe I can walk. It's going to be ugly when I have to actually "dress" for work tomorrow. EVERYTHNG IS TOO SMALL.

Happy: I didn't know there really WAS such a thing as poke salad. I thought it was just 'colorful language' in that song. I do enjoy planting bulbs, though some don't get cold enough in Texas to actually "set"... but the ones that make it tend to replicate and bloom more and more and more with NO EXTRA EFFORT. But they do so slower than mint or strawberries or some of the other invasive stuff.

Today was a very strange day. DH's truck is in the shop, so he worked from home. I went to my therapist (don't know that it helped particularly, but I do have some goals for the week... stay tuned). Bought a salad on the way home to have something healthy in the house... but then DH wanted me to go out to lunch. Ate Chinese. OK, but not planned. (Green beans and chicken) Then was SO sleepy. Just came home and had about a 4 hour nap. I think that's weird. Then I got to talk with each of my grown children. So I probably really ought to eat that salad now. It's past 8 pm, and I don't want to stay up into the wee hours again.

[Shad]

Hola,
How's everyone on this bright and breezy day at the resort. Another day at the funny farm here. Lurches from normal to indecent to the ludicrous in a matter of minutes.

haven't got a lot to report and haven't got a lot of time to report it anyway. Been training this morning and believe it or not had to drive tfg out to site and we didn't kill each other on the way. Strewth, things are looking up.
Going home soon to rest and recuperate from my 'strenuous' day. Tomorrow I have to learn up about supply master data and inventory management. That should be fun. Please sir, my brain is full!

Okay, gotta go. I'll be back. One of the roosters is crowing.

[suzi in auz]

Hi all.
working today on my day off. The volunteers all called in sick and the health nurse needed the centre open so here I am! I'm a little sleepy and realise I really enjoy my days off.
Have read all your notes...keep on keeping on. I heard a really good thing today by Bob Greene, he mentioned physics which I am sure you have all heard before, it's why we all get frustrated with the weight loss thing, we get to a certain place and then plateau, very frustrating.
Basically even if we are active we need to change things around, not see activity as working out. It's good to be active but we should be , to lose weight we need to do things over and above, this is so obvious but it was a light bulb moment for me. I can often see the Gym as something I can tick off and say I have been so good where as really to do any good in the weight department I needed to up the anty. My hubby has been doing this for a few weeks with weights, he ups them each time and is now noticing a change in his body and his weight, after 2 years of going to the gym and just staying the same.
It is quite exciting.
time for work...love to all
Suz

[happy2bme]

Morning chicks,
Quick post as I have an early morning conference call. Good to see you all posting. Sounds like everyone is the the busy, busy mode. Me too. I stayed up kind of late reading my book for book club TONIGHT. I should have started earlier, it looks like a good read. I am behind in most things in my life. Got to get organized NOW. The more behind I am, the more I procrastinate and diddle around with other meaningless stuff.

I do like the point tracking tool on the WW online site. Journaling/writing things down does make you actively think. And it's amazing how much more you're actually putting into your mouth when you track things exactly vs just "guessing".

Have a good day everyone. I probably won't be back until tomorrow.

[MELODY525]

WOW SHAD AND TFG IN A CAR TOGETHER AND NO BLOOD SHED....IMAGINE THAT
THE LAST THING I REMEMBER GOING TO BED WAS TAKING A ZYRTEC. NEXT THING I KNEW IT WAS ALMOST 10 AM!! NO FOOD SHOPPING TODAY FOR MEL.
GOING TO GET SOME CEREAL AND TRY AND JUMP START THE DAY!! I SEE YOU ARE ALL ON THE ROAD TO BUSYVILLE SO I WILL JUST SAY HI!
PAINTER....I LOVE LANDS END. I HAVE 3 SETS OF PANTS/TOPS MADE OUT OF SOME KIND OF STRETCHY BRUSHED-LIKE MATERIAL. FUZZY FEELING. I WEAR THEM ALL THE TIME FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. THE MOST COMFY CLOTHES I OWN!! GOTTA LOVE LANDS END!!

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE

[ceejay52]

Mel- You did well on your shopping spree. I love gift cards.

Happy--Went to sleep on the couch last night and didn't post that recipe. I meant to bring my cook book and do it at work but didn't lay it out the night before.

The guys have finished putting a cover over the hole in the wall where the birds are making nest. I didn't realize that a particular door would open at the water plant downstairs. Now I'm going to have to make sure that it is locked at night. It leads directly out on the street.

I think from now on that I'm going to just get myself heatlhy. I have recognized that I'm older and I'm getting used to my weight. I don't think I'm genetically programed to be any smaller than what I already am. I am going to execise at least 4 times per week(aerobics) and do weights at least 3 times per week. I will also be watching my cholesterol, fat, and carbs intake, and try not to eat a heavy meal after 5 p.m.

Hello to all the rest.

[Shad]

Just a flying visit to let you know I am still alive and kicking - mostly tfg and one of the roosters. - they are beginning to drive me crazy. Tfg left his memory stick in the back of the computer in the training room when he finished last night. He was back in town before he realised. So Anna and I got these phone calls to request us to bring the memory stick. Now I ask you - am I his mother or something and has he nothing better to do? So when I arrived back in the office after going out and doing a stint in the absolute heat of the roasters (it's well over 120F there and the humidity is straight steam, he is waiting for me to give him his memory stick. So I gave him a little extra as well. Laid down a guilt trip so thick you could swim in the pathos. Then one of the roosters rang in to say the other one was missing - like I am the mother or something??? Did he do his course this morning? No! Fine I'll ring him. The little twit had grabbed his computer bag and left home minus the laptop - just the bag. Hello does the weight mean nothing to you? Right there are various ways around it without going home and getting the laptop (35K each way) you can use the control room one. You can borrow one from another trainer, you can borrow someones PC and download the screens and just pass them around. GET WITH IT YOU MORONS.
Am I the only one round here who can think???

Sorry, needed to get that off my chest. Right now someone elses moron has dropped a whole stack of rework on my desk. Now I'm the MM trainer as well.

[PainterWoman]

Shad: Glad you could vent. I'm sure there ARE some days when you are doing the most thinking! Not to mention being a great role model.

[happy2bme]

Good morning chicks,

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sleepy, sleepy this morning. Don't you wish some mornings you could just fall back in bed and snooze longer? When I go to call DH most of the time he's "give me 30 more minutes" and sometimes it's an entire hour. I'm jealous. I'm also jealous of people who get to stay at home and don't have to trudge off to an outside job. My house is SO in need of a stay at home mom right now to get things tidied up Everytime I try to get the house Fly Lady'd DH comes along and drops things here and there. Sometimes I think we feed off each other.

Shad, I can so relate to your vent. What is it about people just assuming that others are around simply to take care of their needs? Stupid twits.

Ceejay I think you are right, few of us will go back to our glory days although for some who reach their weight loss goal, it may be the first time in their lives they looked and felt so good.

Mel, hand me one of those Zyrtec pills, will you? I'll blame the siesta on the meds.

Suzi - be careful which kind of light bulb moments you have there - I see that your prime minister has banned incandescent bulbs.

About the Polk Salad, as I was talking to one of the association members out on the driveway several months ago, she happened to glance under my neighbor's magnolia tree and said oh lookit that polk weed in there. That's the only reason I know what it is. So I looked it up on Wikipedia.

Pokeweed contains toxins that are harmful to mammals. Young pokeweed leaves can be boiled three times to reduce the toxin, discarding the water after each boiling. The result is known as poke salit, or Poke salad, and is occasionally available commercially. Many authorities advise against eating pokeweed even after thrice boiling, as traces of the toxin may still remain. (OK folks, here it comes... ) When fried in bacon grease , poke salad is no longer poisonous, and many say it tastes very good, "especially with cornbread". (Hey, what doesn't taste good with bacon fat and cornbread and who hasn't heard of the antidotal effects of bacon grease ) For many decades, Poke salad has been a staple of southern U.S. cuisine, despite campaigns by doctors who believed pokeweed remained toxic even after being boiled. (THAT'S WHY THEY CAN'T DRIVE DOWN HERE - BRAINLESS TWITS). Yes, this is the place I live in now.

Don't worry Shad, we won't be feeding you from under the magnolia tree although Poke Salad is also native to New Zealand.

Hey Painter - a 4 hour nap is what I consider a nice long one! It's just bad that at what should be bedtime you'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed. Toss a bit of turkey into that salad for the tryptophan effect.

Ok, I'm just lollygagging here. Time to head to work for today's new adventure whatever that may be...

[ceejay52]

Here's the recipe for Mexican Chicken

1 boned chicken--I used a package of chicken tenders
1 chopped onion--1 used a bunch of green onions
salt and pepper
chili powder
garlic powder
1 pound of cheese--I used 2% grated cheese
1 9oz pkg of Dorito's--crushed
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can cream of mushroom soup--I used the 98% fat free from Campbell's
1 can of cream of chicken soup--Iused the 98% fat free from Campbells

Line bottom of 9 by13 inch greased pan with crushed Dorito's(save a fewfor the top). Spread chicken evenly over the chips. Sprinkle seasoning and chopped onions over chicken. Combine the Ro-Tel cream of mushroom and chicken soups together and spread over top. Spread cheese evenly and sprinkle the top with remaining chips.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

[ceejay52]

Happy--I've eaten polk salad. It isn't my favorite but alot of my older relatives love it. It's also good with scrambled eggs.

This morning is flying by. I Hav a lot to do today so I need to get with it.

[Shad]

Polk Salad - well when I get time I'll look it up. It certainly isn't called that in NZ. I suspect it is a weed similar to groundsil and called Raraki or Puha. The Maori love it. It becomes part of the Puha and Pakeha stew. Perhaps I should let you look up Pakeha. Or maybe Suzi would like to enlighten you all.
I've recovered from my dummy spit of yesterday, although since I have been working from home since 5.30am and are now at work, 7.53am, and due to start class at 8.00, the feelings of being a bit hard done by is persisting. I didn't finish yesterday until after 7.00pm and still managed some more from home last night, then brought my trip spreadsheet up to date and went to bed. I don't see an end to it either. But I am having Saturday off. I'd better do some shopping or I don't get to eat! and I am having guests to dinner Saturday night.
Painter, I am trying to arrange a long stop over in Dallas or maybe even an overnighter for the 30th May. Maybe we can meet up. Should have an answer in the next couple of days.

Anyway, gotta go, time to get this room set up and start beating the darlings over the head.

[Shad]

Went to Wikipedia to see if I could find the weed in NZ and what its name actually is over there. Funnily enough I can't remember seeing it over there, but there is something which looks very similar here which is commonly known as the black currant plant and which is mightily prized in the North of Australia.
I'll see if I can find my photo of the currant plant.
Gotta go again. Back to Repairable Spares. I'm not going back into the office today because I might get accosted by the roosters or the tfg. I'll work here until I am going to sleep over the keyboard.