My doctor wasn't in today, so I got to have an extra hour at the mall. Hubby trudged along after me while I tried on shoes. I explained to him about spite spending. When you can't get anyone to wait on you, you go to their competition and buy them there. The competition today actually had what I wanted on sale, so win all around. Himself has decided that women are complicated. At least I'm only buying $50 sneakers, and not $500 pumps.

Hiya Peeps - I just posted the "dress" pic - better hurry before I change my mind about posting it.

Let's see if I can try to keep up this week.

Bernice - hope you got some rest. I'm tired just listening. I could not have those leftovers - pasta and meatballs - two big target foods for me - not sure I can quit thinking of them since you mentioned them.

Julee - hope you had a good day at work. The first is always the worst one. Seems like you had a nice week off with lots of activities but relaxing also.

Rat - hope this finds you feeling better and your eyes doing work other than acting as roadmaps. Green beans a la Rat (as Johnnie put it) sound wonderful. Glad you like the sweet potatoes - lots of options to me. I really like grilled veggies. Any chance of sharing the cookie making you sick with me - they are my favorite food group.

Jess8 - how was the weigh in?

Julia - you are doing great - can't wait to see pics in the dress. How was your day?

Debi - let me know about the honey - I hadn't heard it either.

Catherine - does it have to be local honey? So tell us about the new sneakers please. When does summer pool season end in the great north so you can get back to the pool?

Annie - hugs hun. We'll be here.

Johnnie - the thing I like better about wearing a dress now as compared to when I used to wear them everyday is now no one wears panty hose it seems. That thought still makes me think - no dress.

Hope you've all had body moving, water drinking and SMILING days.

Hugs,
Carol

Hi all,

Things here are moving along...slowly. Busy with work. But that's ok, because it's what I do. Eating on plan more days than not (at least 5 days a week, more than that most weeks). Sneaking in exercise when able (read not as often as I should).

Carol - you look great in the picture. You go girl.

Annie - I really hope you get a job. I admittedly get jealous at times of those that don't have jobs, as they seem to have more time to make weight loss their #1 job. But, I failed to realize in that jealous moment the other concerns that come along with not having a job. I have worked every year since I was 12 yrs old (detassling corn). I worked every summer until I was 15, at which point I was able to work year round. And I haven't had down time since. 21 yrs later, I get jealous at times of those that don't work, but...I want to work, I know that. I am a money freak (I am the main bread winner, by a lot), and I would have an ulcer without a job. I hope you don't think less of me for admitting I get jealous ... and then taking it back. I feel like this whole paragraph is going to get me in trouble, and I don't want that, but wanted to speak honestly.

Rat - Sorry you aren't feeling well. How dare frosting do that to you? I feel like my friend frosting has let you down. Shame.

Catherine - Good to see you are getting back on the weight loss train. I am sure any day now you will zip past me. You seem successful in everything you do.

Ugh, I am horrible at personals. Sorry guys.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

Angie

Hey Angie - must have been posting at the same time. I'm with you on the work vs not work. I'm also the main breadwinner and at times am jealous. But then I have a few days off and don't know what to do with myself. I've worked forever too -sometimes it gets to me too since I've worked non-stop since 14 without any baby breaks even. I've found I just spend more money when I have a few days off - gotta work since I wanna spend it.

You are doing great - 5 of 7 is fantastic. keep up the great work.

Hi All!

Well, Monday again. I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm fighting with my eyes today. Something got into my right eye on Saturday and between whatever it was and rubbing it made it very sore. Wore my glasses to church yesterday and today instead of my contacts. It's better, but still puffy feeling.

I'm happy to report that someone at work finally got some sense and DIDN'T bring birthday cake for the birthday. The girl who was having the birthday is on a diet too, so instead of bringing cake they brought fruit and a veggie tray. Yippee!! Now I DID have some of that!

I was able to wear a blouse to work this morning that I haven't been able to wear since September! It was nice to get into it and wear something different (without buying something bigger!). I also tried on my smock that I wear for our church AWANA class, and I was able to button it, which I couldn't at the end of May this year. It still gaps about an inch or so at the bottom, but I'm hoping it will be looser when we start class in September.

Debi - glad the shower was a success, and congrats on no cupcake! Supper sounds delicious...can I come??!!

Carol - I bet the dress looks awesome. Looking forward to the pics!

Bernice - I know all about sleepy Sundays. I'm too much of a night owl, especially on the weekends. Luckily we have an interesting pastor, but he had to work extra hard to keep me awake this Sunday, I'm afraid.

Julee - Hope work isn't too stressful today. The show sounds like my kind of show. Congrats on the vest!!

Ratkitten - I'm glad your stomach is feeling better. Nothing worse than being sick at your stomach.

CatherineM - Sometimes I don't think women are complicated ENOUGH to put up with some of the things men do!!

Jess8 - Congrats on 3 healthy wks! Good luck w/ weigh in tomorrow!

Julia - July is almost over, but August is going to be AWESOME for you!!

Annie - I'm thinking and praying about you and finances. Hang in there.

texarkgal - Hi there!!

Well, DH is getting hungry, so I have to go fix supper. Have a good evening everybody. Remember, August is right around the corner and it's a whole new month of OP!!

Hugs

Bumblebee08

Hi everyone. I only have time for a few personals…

Julee - Thanks for the bar info. I will have to check out the WW ones when I go to my meeting on Wednesday.

Monica – It is really amazing to see how much we were eating before we started paying attention. On Sunday my BF was going to cook pasta until he looked up the points and saw that one cup is 4 points. It is so hard to eat just one cup of pasta. The whole wheat ones are better, but still…

Carol – WW is a slightly different mindset than calorie counting, but fairly similar. So far so good. I guess the biggest thing will be if I can keep with it and if I see results. I think I should be able to, especially if I keep focused and don’t let myself fall too far off track again. I love the dress – you look fantastic!

I made it back to the gym tonight. Go me! I was so worried that I would have totally lost it, but I made it for 40 minutes on the elliptical, so while it isn't where I left off it certainly isn't where I started from.

I had a really nice weekend with my BF and his stepson. We went to a double feature of Hellboy and Dark Knight (DK was AMAZING) and then to a ren faire. I did pretty well with eating, although I did dig slightly into my flex points on Saturday, but only just a bit. We did a bit of walking at the faire, but need to figure out how to add it in to the weekends more. He does have a gym in his apartment building, so that is an option, but even better we should go out for walks together. The only thing is that I am fitter than he is (a first for me – I have almost always been the unfittest in any grouping) and I need to figure out how to make it a workout for both of us. Maybe some hand weights or something to add to my resistance? If anyone else has experience in this I would love to hear suggestions.

Hi All,

Just got back from 2 weeks vacation....And trying to catch up with everyone....I hope you feel better ratkitty...
Had a great vacation walking swimming lol eating!!(He He) I had 2 cheats but in 14 days I consider that was pretty good.....One small bowl of Ruffles potato chips ......And 2 chicken fingers.......I lost while on vacation and now I am down 42 lbs..... Gave my scales a big hug lol..........Making diet chilli tonight so I will have some meals in the freezer when I don't feel like cooking....I bought a lean cuzine for lunch today and did not like it...So I decided i better get off my butt and prepare some meals .....Well thats all my news now ....Got to catch up with everyone hugs all!! Angels

Carol-Yeah, it has to be local honey. You basically want to expose yourself to the local pollen in a way that builds your immunity to it. It was something I learn in missionary training. They would send for local honey from wherever you were going to be stationed at least a month ahead of time so that you wouldn't get hayfever when you got there.

Shoes-Because of my high arch and plantar trouble, I have to either wear Nike Air or ACG. I can sometimes find New Balance, but they don't last as long. I get them a little big so that I can wear really good gel insoles to fit. So that means Women's 12's or Men's 11's, depending on the individual shoe. I wear the goretex hiking boots in winter. As long as my feet are dry, they are warm, and I have to be able to "feel" the ground when it is icy. The rest of the year I wear running shoes. The cheapest ones I can find since I go through them so fast. This time I got Bandolier low tops which are just like my boots but low and vented instead of high and gore-tex. They're probably made in a sweat shop in Thailand, but without the right kind of shoe, I get that tendinitis in my heel that makes it feel like I am walking on broken glass.

I swear I'm coming back tomorrow and will try and do personals. I just ran out of time today. I just wanted to say 'great picture' to Carol, and now I'm off to my bed!

Carol - girl that is one great pic.

Don't have a lot of time but wanted to say hello to all...hope everyone has a great week. My 2nd weigh-in is Thursday so I'll get to see if I've lost any lbs. for the first time! I'm hoping that will be a motivator...

Oh! AND I was really good this morning and got out my Yoga Booty Ballet DVD and worked out for a good 20 min. before getting ready for work. I just can't wait to get the Gazelle since we have people that live below us and I can't be stomping around on top of them!!

Hi everyone.

I'm in a much better mood. My puppies and DH tend to help me in that area. Sorry for the grumpiness earlier. Hugs and thanks to you all.

Anne: I have to say that I was looking at the photo page for Carol's pic and You look amazing in the photo with your friends! I loved it. Thanks for posting it.

Carol: My sweet! You are such a beautiful woman! I loved you in the dress. You look fantastic. I'm so happy for you sweetie. Hugs.

Debi: I read your pm and pm'd you back. My DH was sitting beside me tonight when I was putting my new avatar pic up. He was sitting beside me when I posted on the biggest winner page and pointed out something that I didn't notice. Duh. You and I started the challenge exactly the same weight and we are currently the exact same weight. Good for us. I hear ya about pouring it on this last week of the challenge. I'm game. Thank you for posting about the babies. My prayers are with the family that lost their little guy. So sorry to hear about that. I was praying for him to be okay. God has his reasons and sometimes we just don't understand. I hope and will continue to pray for his family that they will cling to Him for comfort.

Catherine: Yipee for new shoes. I am a shoe girl so any kind of shoes make me happy.

Angie: No sweat. I didn't take offense in the least. I totally understand. Being off work for so many years and having agoraphobia for all of those years has me freaking out about working. I want to work because I know we need the money but I am with you. I would love to be able to stay at home and be a mommy and a wife. No children so I can't be a mommy. Need the money so I can be a part time wife. lol. I'm sure things will pick up soon. We did this financial mess to ourselves when we had more money we lived well beyond our means and now things are slow and we are in debt. We are planning on working hard and getting out of debt to hopefully never be in debt again. So, again, no worries. Hugs to ya. We all get jealous and the grass looks greener for all of us at times.

Bumblebee: Hugs to you. Yipee for no cake but having fruit and veggies. Maybe you are rubbing off on then a bit! Wouldn't that be nice. Super great news about the blouse fitting you too. That is always so exciting to have something go on that previously didn't fit.

Nancy: Glad you had a nice weekend. I don't have any advice on the workouts except maybe make it a challenge if you guys are at all competative. When I could only ride my exercise bike for 5 minutes at a time I challenged my DH a virtual race to my Dad's house that was 480 miles away. That got me motivated to move it whenever I could. I won. Maybe it will work for you guys. Have fun with it. Make it interesting like winner gets a prize or something. I got a 1 hour full body message from DH. Could be a fun prize!

Angles. Way to go on the -42 pounds. Woo hoo.

DH came home and gave me a hug. We got into our motorless boat and put our doggies in there with us. He took lots of photos for me with my doggies and without them and I put one on my avatar. I couldn't get my black dog, "Pepper" to sit by me. SHe is tired and old. lol "Bear" is a Ham and a half. lol. My little family always cheers me up.

Thanks again to all of my dear friends here and again, I'm sorry for the big weenie fest earlier.

blessings all,
Annie

G'morning all!

My tummy is better, just sore now. Thank you for get well wishes! I have to remember to take it easy for the next few days.

Annie, I completely understand about the grumpies. My fuzzies always pick up my mood. Right now, the dogs are doing the Golden Smackdown in the middle of the room. Charley is dismayed that Buffy's collar isn't here to grab ahold of (he ran off with it last night and I haven't put it back on). He's going for her meaty thigh to throw her off balance. Buffy just throws herself down on the ground and goes for the sensitive underbelly of Charley. Meanwhile, both are making happy dog grunting sounds. If there were monsters in the basement, they'd run thinking elephants lived upstairs the way the doggies bounce around. No matter what size my puppies think they are, they are 84 lbs a piece! Last night, both thought they were lap dogs.. ugh! Gotta love em

Hugs to all,
Ratkity

PS I believe Mall therapy is as powerful as any other! Yay for new shoes!

you know I wonder if there was a grumpy fairy yesterday pulling double duty!!! LOL After my sis's phonecall I was so grumpy............my girls took the blunt of it........then DH came home & caught my grumpiness and after I felt better he was grumpy!!! Gosh I hate setting off a mood like that!

Annie, NO ONE is happy/perky all the time, so give yourself some slack!! Yep I'm there too, job-hunting & more money going out than coming in. I get angry that there are people who have loans for things they don't NEED & can't afford, become 'bankrupt' & everyone else has to 'pay' for it! I know there are people who genuinely get in a mess through no fault of their own and I have great sympathy for them but I've seen so many people just buying 'stuff' for no other reason than greed and 'showing off', it has a 'knock-on' effect on everyone AND the economy. Grrr, rant over, lol, here's to both of us getting jobs SOON!!! I miss having a dog to cuddle but Gareth & Aiden are almost as good at cuddling as a doggie or kitty, though I prefer purrs to panting xxxxxx
Angie, yep when I worked I wanted to be at home, now I'm home I want (& need) to work, ideally part time so I get SOME money AND time with my family. Don't feel bad about it, as Annie said the grass often SEEMS greener.xxxx
Debbie, so sorry about the baby, it must be very difficult for them, even though they must have been told not to expect him to live hope is always there. I'm sure he's somewhere good and not in pain or distress any more.xxxxx
Nancy, I'm sure your new guy is so pleased to meet someone to diet & work out with, EVEN BETTER that you get on with his son. Did you treat yourself to anything from the fair? When we go to the Robin Hood festival I always see lots of silver or pewter jewellery and fabric/clothing I like, Steve pulls me away before I spend anything, lol.xxxxxx

Carol, you looked lovely in that dress, smart & elegant, here's to more dresses! I too love the way you're not forced into tights any more, stockings dig into my thighs (not difficult) and a tan just looks great on bare legs. I wonder if I ever dare show any le above my ankles, lol? my skirts all skim the floor.xxxxxxx

Well I got what Steve had, aches, pains in joints, sweats, feeling sick and a really bad throat. Wish I'd gotten Steve to take a pic, I looked like a hamster with swollen neck & chin. I drank lots of water & home made fruit smoothies & soup (even though it's been hot here) I think that's why I didn't get 'it' as bad as hubby & son. I still feel tired & weak but I can eat real food now, looking forward to prawn salad for dinner.
xxxxxxsharon