Morning all,
Good to hear you all clucking away here. Such a relief to talk to an unstir crazy thread.
Not much time to post right now. I have to do some shopping, pick up the other trainer and get on with my one class today. Talk about money for jam. Still it is my retirement fund that is benefitting here. Like Madcat, I can't afford to retire until I am at least 70 and then I will have to die at 74 anyway. Can't be helped.
Painter - Change management in my opinion is the least understood of any of the project stages. I have never yet seen it done well except for one person who took the bull by the horns and developed a package that actually dealt with the changes sections of the plant would face. Normally in my experience, change management is a series of 2796 powerpoint slides which have graphs, arrows, pictures, moving words, fade in - fade out, music, bombs going off, and typewriters clacking away and demonstrates the creators ability to use Powerpoint. This may be impressive to the leaders, movers and shakers, company pres and vice pres., but the ordinary bloke simply needs to know how does (whatever) change my job? For these people, explain the business process, explain the reasons, show them how the job will change. Use one workflow chart and not 76 which fade off into simulations etc. and make it clear what is expected of him, his fellow workers and their job. Madcat, Carla and Happy may have some other ideas on how to deal with change in the workplace as well.
Madcat - Don't give away the idea of home ownership altogether, although sometimes, well most times, you have to think about age, ability to pay back mortgages etc and job restrictions. I'm not sure that you are yet old enough to say that it isn't worth owning your own place. What I think you need to think about is: - will you be happy in the suburbs (some of us are City Cats) or should you put the money into two apartments rather than a big house with annexe or Granny Flat. The parents will only get older and be more dependent. The yard will require work constantly. At least with two units - be they ground level or high rise, there will be little yard work to attend to. However as I said previously, you make your decisions according to the pros and cons and don't let it be said I tried to persuade you otherwise.
Better go and sort out the natives. Tomorrow is Friday! : That means a flight out of here and into the fleshpots of Cairns.
Mel tells me this morning that she could actually see somethings (like the clock and tell the time) when she got up this morning. Hallelujah, something is happening with the drops.
Suzi enjoy that car.
Holly you sound depressed friend. Stress gets to you after a while. You need a bit of a break from the rat race.
Thanks Shad... I can see how a presentation could go that way. I'm doing a CEU presentation for therapists and will MOSTLY talk about Prochaska's model of self-change (research based on smoking cessation) and throw in a bit about managing changes you expect of OTHER people. I did find a good (long) article from some MIT/Sloan students that raised good questions and will be "grist for the mill" for my adult learners.
I forgot to mention my measurements and weight, seeing as it is August 31 here. Went to the gym this morning and jumped on the scales - no they didn't say one at a time please!!!
Upper chest - 37.75
Bust - 41.75 was 41.75
Lower chest 34.75
Waist - 33.5 was 34.5
Upper Hip - 40.25 was 40
Lower Hip - 40 was 41
Top of leg - 21.5 was 22
Top of Arm - 12.5 was 12.75
So I have lost an inch in a couple of places. I also have a new tape measure so that could account for the lack of loss. The old ones may be stretched.
The scales said just below 75k but I was wearing sweat slicked gym gear and shoes and had sweat wet hair. I think I may have lost about a kilo maybe a bit less.
I'm just grateful it is not piling on like it did in Wollongong. I've been a lot more active this time round, but it is not moving it any faster.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
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Hey y'all,
As we stand on the brink of September, it's a good time to reflect and renew. Something about starting a new month that's incentive for starting all over again.
I used to love the fall season up north - the days turned glorious and you knew it wasn't going to last long before winter blew in so every one was precious and enjoyed. We have "summer" a bit longer down here but I can see subtle changes in the daylight, the trees and the weather that say fall is coming.
I had wanted to take a ride east to the mountains to see the fall colors and maybe take a get away weekend but I realized mom's 80th birthday is this year. I'll be taking my 2 precious vacation days and making a long weekend with a drive home. DH of course has been talked into making the trip.
Seems like some of us are stressed - need to stop that as it makes and keeps us fat. I am trying hard myself not to let things annoy me. Little inroads. As for losing weight, as LindaT would say - just have to make time for it and do it. There's 48 thirty minute blocks of time each day - take one and move your body - even if you are multitasking. You make time to brush your teeth each day, you can make time for exercise - really, you can. I do see a difference when I'm exercising - even if it is gentle exercise.
Congrats Shad on stopping the momentum of the upward gain. It does sound like Weipa is a place of minimal activities. How long will this contract last? Thank you for the update on Mel.
Change management - you mean the "life is what happens when you're making plans to do other stuff?"
I have asked DH to pick out some hummingbird pictures - will try and post them this weekend.
And I too don't agree with the picture altering of Katie. Of course given the abilities to alter pictures now, what can you believe anymore? Perhaps only what you see with your own eyes. I can say that I took a "now" picture and erased away the fat bits to illustrate what I can and should be. It was rather startling. I took a hard look and saw fat in places I wouldn't ordinarily notice. Amazing what your mind covers when you look in a mirror.
Suzi, hope you are enjoying the new car.
Madcat, I have more to say on the housing issue but don't have the time at the moment - later.
Hello Ceejay, Holly, Turtle, Teel, Tig, Rose and of course, our recuperating Mel.
Happy that is a great way to express time and I agree that a new month is a time to set prioities for ourselves and our goals. I am really going to try to do the more steps per day again it makes a big difference.
Shad have a great time and enjoy yourself.
Mel, our thoughts and prayers go out to you and we miss you we miss you we miss you.
I am off to the Flathead and my 5 hour drive.... hope everyone has a great weekend. We love to hear from everyone even the lurkers who just stop by to say a quick hi!
Measurements were taken this morning and I’ve lost 5.5 inches. Woohoo, the exercise has paid off this month. My goal is to be a perfect 36/24/36. More abdominal and chest exercises need to be incorporated. The stamina bike is a good exercise machine. The inches that have been lost is from riding this because it concentrates on the waist down. I did weigh and with clothes on the scale read 186.6. I’m not depending on the scale anymore.
Today laundry has to be done and the house dusted and vacuumed
Hi Rose--you egg light is on.
Suzi must be enjoying her new car.
Madcat--Weigh the pro's and con's about buying the house. I can understand about not wanting to live with the in-laws.
PainterWoman--Finally heard from all the test. I'm good for another 6 months.
Went to visit my sisters down on the coast. I have a new fixation... Hummus Going to try making it myself. Rose Reisman (www.rosereisman.com) has a couple of recipes I'm going to try. One with chick peas, the other one uses white kidney beans. I read on a website that someone uses peanut butter rather than the tahini paste. Might try that too
The kids start school next Tuesday so we are just sucking up the last of the relax vibes and trying to put it out of our minds. Routines aren't are strong point Getting up early again, making lunches, schleping off to the school for drop off, every day! Motherhood is such a JOB :P
Morning all,
Well Friday is finally here and today is the day we slope off to Cairns. My partner in crime has gone off to work and I am about to tackle the washing, take a walk, pack some stuff and see whether I can get away with the backpack or I have to take the suitcase. Hoping for the backpack because I want to buy one of those cabin cases which hold an awful lot of stuff but are light and have wheels etc. Whatever did we do before suitcases had wheels???
So I'm going back to the cell shortly to do the housework etc and then take the hike down by the beach before it gets too hot. Weather forecast for Cairns is rain for the weekend - pphooey!!!! Aaah well, I get that's what comes of going on holiday with the English (sorry Teel).
Good thoughts there Happy for moving the body. Really all it takes is 30 minutes per day. Not much out of your time - but and there is always a but - you do need to sweat it out on those thirty minute sessions. Start with stretching. I love a good stretch and yes you can sweat with 30 minutes of stretching arms, legs, necks and backs (gently please). I'm told a good walk will burn more fat than a run or a jog which burns sugar and carbs. There you go walk it off.
Meadow, I'm quite okay with hummus or hummous or hommous as it is known over here. Never thought of making it as there are other things with more flavour that I enjoy better. I'll take a look at the recipe on the site later and see what is in it. Never knew it could be made with beans. I always thought of it with chickpeas as standard. Unfortunately once I start on things like that I can't stop until it is finished so I don't get them very often. We have Wattle Valley Chunky Dips here - they are a form of pesto usually with crushed cashew nuts rather than pinenuts and you can get them in sundried tomato, pumpkin, red pepper or basil and avocado flavours. They are chock-a-block with oil. But they taste so good. Coupled with grissini, I could be 4 metres wide in very little time.
And that is about it for the moment. If I think of anything else I'll be back. Otherwise you may not hear from me again before Monday, when I have yet another induction. Be good or be careful
All the worries of the week seem to have melted away when I lay eyes on my new wheels and it is so smooth.
i it! It's a beautiful BLUE and so nicely appointed. I am so glad that we put a few extras on it, it feels very special and it is MINE! Sometimes the process of buying and organising money can take away from the joy. I think with everything else that has happened this week that too has happened.
I am now able to relish in it all.
It's a beautiful spring day. I have a pretty summer top on and there is definitely a smell of summer in the air.
Shad , have the most gorgeous time away in your lovely piece of paradise. I hope you find lots of lovely things on your shoppig spree and just ENJOY indulging yourself. Meadow I really have mixed feelings when the kids finally go back to school, in some ways the thought of having time to myself is lovely but I also miss them, Hummous is one of myfavourites. There is a place here in Aus that makes the most delicious hummous and I am sure that the chickpeas they use are roasted because it tastes like peanut butter!!! Yes as shad mentioned it is also too scrummy..and it is hard to stop once you start. I must say that I could live off antipasta , meats, dips, cheese, bread and wine but would look like ten ton tessa!
Ceejay well done on the inches lost! That tells you so much more than those darn scales. The tape measure doesn't lie!
Rose enjoy your ride!
Happy thank you for the sentiments and pep talk. i think we all need it, it is so easy to get down on ourselves. You are right, breaking it down into little blocks like 1/2 hour lots puts things in perspective. I know we all can manage at least one 1/2 in our busy days.
Mel We hope everything is good in your world
P.W. Good luck with the presentation.
Madcat to you on the decision making processing and with the house hunting, it's always so up and down and two and fro with these sorts of things and it's ok to change your mind. I read the 15lbs lighter article. i think the most disturbing factor is the fact that the lovely woman looks good 20 lbs heavier and certainly doesn't need photoshop!
hugs to everyone else. I am zipping out of here and into the weekend.
I make hummus all the time and play around with it. I use different beans, toss in a red pepper, onion etc. The basic recipe I use is a can of rinsed chick peas, a dollop of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt,a clove of garlic and a dab of tahini if I have some, juice from 1 lemon, process it and eat it. My kids and I eat a batch at a time between us for lunch or snack. We use veggies or crackers with it.
Not as tired today. I went 5 nights with around 5 hours sleep. Just not enough.
Up and had coffee, played trucks with DS. 3 extras here, 4 more to come, DD is still sleeping.
We are having a "party" today for last day of summer vacation. I got the boys trucks and girls hair dodads and bracelets and a treat bag to take home, lots of balloons and then we will build some sundaes later.
The big party will be the glass of wine I will have at 6pm!!!!!! I survived!!!
No one has cucs this year from a blight so looks like wont be making pickles. I will be able to can peaches and make peach jam tho. Maybe some tomato sauce or salsa.
The old drunk who yells at us from across the road moved this week. Evey time I go outside I look over because I know he watches the street and what we do.....weird that the house is empty but in a good way. A single man who drives truck is moving in.It would be nice if he was around our age and he was decent guy. He and hubby could chat a bit.
I measured myself last night with no discernible changes – except maybe down 1 inch in the waist. Grr. I need to find a real tape measure. Using a metal measuring tape doesn’t cut it. Weight the same too (or maybe even 1 lb up) Grrr. August was a write-off. On the positive side, at least I stopped the upward spiral I was on. And I did up my exercise and I have to say I feel better. So that is something, isn’t it?
Painter~ Apparently they also photoshopped (is that officially a verb now?) the new picture of Rosie O’Donnell for the View. She wrote a very funny freeform poem about it on her blog (as reported in Salon):
Shad’s explanation of change management is really accurate. The last project I worked on involved implementing a new piece of software in a large Bank and the group I worked for’s sole purpose was managing the change. The most useful thing I wrote for the employees was this little table that explained how they used to do stuff compared to what they now were going to have to do differently and the new stuff they were now going to be able to do. The whole document was only 4 pages long or so, but you could see the light bulbs go on when they read it. I think whether it is job change or personal change the key thing people what to know is the specifics – how will it feel making the change? What do I have to do? It's all managing the fear of change...
Shad ~ Funny but when I was 30 I did actually own a house in the ‘burbs and HATED it (Of course it didn’t help that the man I was sharing it with was quite crazy). I swore I would never live in the middle of nowhere again. Or if I did live in the middle of nowhere it would be a small town - not an overgrown strip mall full of soccer moms and auto dealerships (but I’m not bitter ). I haven’t given up on the idea though and my long term plan still does include homeownership since I’d love to be mortgage free before our mythical retirement. I think we have just decided to postpone for a year or so until the insane real estate market in the city cools a bit. It would also be nice to have some more cash put away before we take that step. We have also been talking about buying without his parents – maybe something more modest than a house big enough for all four of us. So we’ll have to see how it goes.
Enjoy your weekend getaway!!! Have a bevvie by the pool for us, will you? Even if it rains, I am sure your getaway will be lovely. Going for a walk on the beach in the rain could be fun.
Roseblush~ howdy to you!
Happy ~ It is starting to be cool here in the evenings and I love that. I too am a big fan of fall. But it is getting harder to get up in the mornings since the sun now gets up after we do You only have two vacation days? Wow, you work for slave-drivers!!!
Suzi~ So terrific you have a new toy. I agree with you that I thought she looked terrific 15 lbs heavier. I worry about this need for society and the media and the forces of modern culture to turn all women into lollipops with big heads and stick bodies. I’m just so glad I’m not a teenage girl.
Ceejay~ Way to go on your loss. Now that is great progress!
Holly ~ Congrats on surviving yet another kid filled summer. Enjoy that glass of wine. I think you earned it. Will you still have kids to sit once school starts or is the nest truly empty now? Really any new neighbour has to be an upgrade over your last one.
And to all others lurking, reading and otherwise. My love to Mel!!
You know, some days I come here and I just wish we could all sit down for a coffee and a good natter. Darn life interfering.
Yesterday's fast started out on the right track but it wasn’t long before I was hungry. I should start out with a half a day fast then work up to a whole day fast.
Results from the 5.5 inches lost this month is from the following, miles 137.1, calories burned 7326, minutes exercised 636. I would have done more but I was sick for about a week due to my thyroid over reacting. I’ve lost down to a size 14 in jeans. Another reason to be happy is that my bra over hang is gone. I’m through with the scale. My sister lives in Springfield, MO and I’m planning a trip there in October. It’s 310 miles 1 way. This is my goal for September.
My pay check has arrived. I’m getting ready to go pick up some insoles at the Podiatrist office in Jonesboro. I also need to pay rent today and some other bills. F. reminded me that I needed to buy tags for the Rav 4. Ooops, I’ve forgotten to put the tags on the Rav. It has been in the glove compartment for a couple of weeks.
Need to get off the computer and get these small errands out of the way and then head toward Jonesboro. I also want to stop by the Shoe Carnival. This store is having a two for one sale.
Hardly and empty nest....I wish. Still have 7 kids on the roster + my 2. Five of these kids are in school fulltime now. Gone from 8:40-3:40. Two 4 year olds will go every other day. One 3 year old 1/2 days and another 3 year old,2 days a week.I am hoping for at least 2 completely free afternoons a week to get out and prospect and then to work here when the youngins nap and watch a movie for quiet time.
I am out a whole whack of income starting Tuesday. Hoping i can replace it with Avon. I am half way there and i had no "free" time.I will also be saving about $200 a month in groceries. It all works out.(I hope) Just redid our bulk grocery plan we do. We have gone from the largest plan to the smallest plan.Again monthly savings.
I will have a good idea of how things will work about Sept 15th.
I’ve completed 47 minutes of exercise this morning. This week I’m focusing on my upper body and I’ve increased my weights to 8 pounds. There is a difference.
The kitchen is half way clean and I’ve started the laundry that was not finished yesterday. The lawn is to be mowed also.
I don’t really want to go to Paragould today my heart is not in it.
Yesterday my trip to Jonesboro was eventful. Picked up my insoles at the Podiatrist office, bought 2 pair of shoes at Shoe Carnival, and went to Books a Million and browsed. If they had the Message (a version of the Bible) in large print I would have bought that. Made a quick stop at Lowe’s to check on a lock for the new shed door and purchased one.
Need to get off the puter and finish my chores for today. It’s just about time to get outside to mow the yard.
That means a flight out of here and into the fleshpots of Cairns. 
Going to try making it myself. Rose Reisman (
Getting up early again, making lunches, schleping off to the school for drop off, every day! Motherhood is such a JOB :P 
it! It's a beautiful BLUE and so nicely appointed. I am so glad that we put a few extras on it, it feels very special and it is MINE! Sometimes the process of buying and organising money can take away from the joy. I think with everything else that has happened this week that too has happened. 
Weight the same too (or maybe even 1 lb up) Grrr. August was a write-off. On the positive side, at least I stopped the upward spiral I was on. And I did up my exercise and I have to say I feel better. So that is something, isn’t it?