Just a quick note to say that the kitties are fine: they've stopped sneezing, the nasal congestion is clearing, and they're full of energy! I have a new picture of them. That's Nénu looking up (but sleepy-eyed) and Oscar is curled up against her. Here you can see that even at four months of age, they have the long body type of the oriental shorthair breed. And as I've explained before, their ears won't always look so huge: as their heads get bigger, the ears will be more in proportion.

No time for personals this evening (sorry!), but I had to share...

MY SURGERY IS SCHEDULED.

And it's way sooner than I ever anticipated. September 15th. Cue nervousness...

Kayley Heck yeah girl!!! I've been pushing so hard this week so I'm hoping for a good loss this week. Your surgery is really soon!! Good luck with everything and hope it goes well!!

Silent You have been sick for awhile now sweetie. I sure hope it's nothing too terrible and you're able to get some relief soon. (((Hugs)))

Jane Congratulations on the house offer! I hope everything goes smoothly. DO NOT give up this fight!!! You have come so far and I want to see you go even farther...You CAN do it!!! I'm here for ya lady if you ever need anything!!!

Betsy It really does feel good to be back and pushing as hard as I can again. I know my friend would want it that way. I'm trying really hard amd have been 100% on plan and with work outs this week so I hope for a nice loss.

Fi The babies look ADORABLE!!!! Ahhh I am so in love!! They have great parents so I know they will grow up and be just fine. I'm glad to hear slowly but surely they are getting better and adapting well at the house. Has Grace met them yet? How are things going with her?

Ubee I hope you are doing well today!!! I'm pushing HARD!!! Hope you are too!! :)

Well today was gym day for me with my friend Suzanne. We pushed it to the max and worked and sweated harder than we have in awhile. We really have been doing a phenominal job this week and I'm really proud of the both of us.

Had a NSV today. I put on a T-shirt that hubby got back in his touring days that has always been a little snug on him, and I've never been able to wear it until today!!! And its a men's size large!!! It's not extremely loose on me but it isn't turning me into a sausage roll either. I would feel comfortable wearing it out of the house :)

Tonight is my friend's wake in Toronto as well as a benefit concert for his family. Tomorrow will be the funeral and burial. I have a heavy heart tonight and really wish that DH and I could be there. My friend that lives up there is going to send me one of the shirts they had made as well as a patch for my denim vest. I really do miss him...and I'm going tondo everything in my power to make him proud.

Tomorrow my friend Ana is coming to town and staying the weekend with me. I'm real excited!!! I'm gonna try and get her to work out with me tomorrow night and on Saturday we're gonna hit up the beach and take a long walk. She'll go home sometime on Sunday.

I'm pretty pooped and have work in the morning so I'm going to call it a night. Take care everyone!!

Betsy ~ Awwww thats so sweet to know that you think about me every day and that you say to yourself I need to start walking like Terra does. Im glad Im being an inspiration to you.

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Today I woke up at 8:30 am and as always I got my morning duties done. Im currently watching Leann and Eddie while posting on here and on two other forums,reading my facebook news feed and reading and replying to emails. Im gonna jump in the shower at 11 am cause at noon I need to start watching for my bus cause my friend Wilma and I are going to the movies today. I'll get back home between 4:30 and 5 pm. I'll be sure to do my 2 mile walk tonight and then tomorrow morning I'll be sure to make myself get up so I can walk outside. Usually when my alarm goes off at 5 am I usually just turn it off and I got back to sleep but I really need to stop doing that, I need to just make myself get up at 5 so I can be awake and ready to walk outside at 7 am. So I'll definitely work on that.

This is the second day in a row that I'm having depression pain in the afternoon. I know it's the rebound from all the stress associated with preparing for, and getting, our new fur-kids. I always have to remind myself of what I learned in medical school: positive stress (like new baby, new job, getting married...) is just as hard on one's system as the negative stress we usually think about when when we say "stress."

And as a person with bipolar affective disorder, I'm exquisitely sensitive to stress. I do OK while it's happening, but a few days later, I always swing into depression.

But don't worry about me, y'all. It's not very bad, and I know how to handle it.

Good Morning!
We had a nice time up north and are happy to be back home.
Fi your kitties are precious! Glad you are so aware of your depression feelings and needs. Have a nice time with Mary and at the farm.
Terra you inspire a lot of us! What movie did you see?
Sam Yipeee! for NSV and pushing yourself so hard! Still going to keep an eye on you so you stay out of the danger zone.
Kayley Sept. 15th. Got it. I am really excited for you and hope you will be able to take the time to share your experience with us.
Betsy, Bill just wanted an excuse to be manly and use his duct tape. It is such a guy thing. Awesome that you are losing. Keep it up Betsy your a fib thing has got me worried. Not to mention we are tossing that cane into the back of the closet someday soon!
Jane your "still fat" gave me a good chuckle. So is it the house of your dreams, a starter or a I can make this work house? I'm glad you brought up not giving up. So important for some of us. We will get there. I just know it.
Silent what did the doctor say? Do you need me to drive to Betsy's and jump in her RV, head up really north and we both nurse you back to health?
Have a peaceful day.

Good morning everyone.

Fi Your kitties really are adorable big ears and all. Sorry you're dealing with the depression pain, but glad you feel confident in how to deal with it. You do have a lot going on right now -- even if a lot of it is positive.

Kayley Wow -- guess they did decide that the medical issues would be resolved by then. How wonderful for you to get it scheduled. I know you're a little nervous, but we're all here rooting for you.

Sam Definite wonderful feeling when an item of clothing passes the "I can be seen in public in this" test. Sounds like you're really pushing it and getting back into your rhythm. Glad you friend is coming for a visit.

Terra I would hit the alarm, too. Actually, I would never have set it in the first place. :D One of my retirement gifts to myself was to vow to never set an alarm clock again unless I absolutely, positively, unquestionably have to (like making a flight to someplace fun!).

Ubee Welcome back. Glad you had a good trip and glad you're back home and posting -- we missed you. Bill does love his duct tape. Last year I found some in camouflage that I got him for Christmas. I swear he liked it the best of all of his presents! I'm definitely back on track -- gave me a good scare with the a fib and got irritated enough with myself to make amends. It's amazing. Did you know that if you just stay on plan and exercise moderately that you'll lose weight? ;) It's a miracle!

Silent OK. Are you feeling better? I figure the threat of Ubee and me coming up there would result in an instant cure. Of course, that could be fun! I'm game, Ubee......right after I take care of Bill as he's scheduled the surgery to get the other hip replaced and guess who is taking care of him and the dogs again.

Well, I've gotten a third of the weight gain off since August 7. The rest won't come off that fast, but at least the scale is going in the right direction again. I've been laughing at myself all morning because I am so excited over getting a new stick vacuum cleaner (Hoover Linx if anyone is interested). Toby brings in at least half of the outdoors with him each time he goes out, and my floors always look horrible. But cleaning then required a couple of hours to first Swiffer them and then to get out the vacuum that must weight 35 pounds if it weighs an ounce. Well, I kept reading about these stick vacuums, so I decided to take the plunge, ordered one off of Amazon, and am amazed at what it gets up. I may actually get to the point of liking housework. OK, I got carried away there, but at least my house stands a chance of looking like I try to keep it clean. Off to cut the grass and Bill's grass since he's gone. I actually don't mind doing it since I get to ride on the big tractor! Have a great day.

Just a quick note to say I'm very busy getting ready for Mary's visit. She doesn't arrive until the morning of the 20th, but I have my last art-education day with Grace on the 19th, so I really have to have the guest bedroom and bath shipshape by the 18th, or at least the morning of the 19th. There's an enormous mound of clothes on the guest bed which need to be stowed somewhere: I've made a considerable dent in it, but there's more to go—plus grocery shopping, cleaning all the bathrooms, you know the drill. At least today I didn't have any depression. Just working slow, because I need lots of breaks...

Hi everybody, I'm new here - may I join in your group?

Good Morning!
Welcome shinesgirl! Jump right in. Please feel free to tell us about yourself, but only what you feel comfortable with.
Fi put on your super cape and go! I find crisis cleaning to be important to me actually getting things done. It is kind of like crisis dieting before a wedding or other occassion.
Betsy is your stick vacuum cordless? As for your staying on plan and exercising working, is it really that easy? Are we making it harder then it is?
Whoops gotta run! Going to a ball game. Yes Silent, I am getting a social life.

Ubee and Betsy you are welcome to try, *imagines you driving an RV over the tundra where there is no roads* lol I am okay just trying to get rid of the cough. Or mitigate it I'm on antibiotics the chess xray was inconclusive and so I am on antibiotics, a puffer and have a follow up in a week and a half (2 weeks from original appt).

I probably SHOULD be resting more life doesn't seem to agree.

Wednesday Night I ended up having afew drinks with friends, thats unusual for me.

Thursday I helped deocrate for a dorky "prom" themed social . On friday I got peer pressured into attending said social lol. And was so fabulous that I got named prom queen (so embarassing actually but I tried to be a good sport about it...).

Last night a teeny tiny group of my friends went to my cabin, had a fire, enjoyed some fresh air nothing too exciting. Today it is raining and I am avoiding housework like a BOSS lol. Well I put on the dishwasher that counts as "doing something" right?

I'm doing bits here and there which is more than I can say I've felt like doing for a while but its a sunday so I'm lazy just on principle! ;)

SAM- Wish you lived closer so you could go with ME to the gym! I need someone to look up to who lives close by !

Ubee ~ Im glad I inspire alot of you. My friend and I saw Blended Friday, It stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, It was a really good movie, Im gonna have to buy it when it comes to DVD.

Betsy ~ Thats a good retirement rule to have.

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I woke 5 something this morning but I fell back sleep and when I woke up again it was 7:30 AM, I slept way too long this morning because when I woke up the 2nd time my back was hurting so I went ahead and got up. I let Clyde outside and gave him fresh food and he has fresh water still. At noon Im gonna do my 2 mile walk using my dvd and then I'll do another 2 miles tonight after 6 or 6:30 so I'll only get 4 miles in today but thats better then 0 so Im still proud of myself.

This morning's photo of the kittens: Nénu on the left, Oscar on the right. It isn't that great of a photo, but it does show off how much Oscar has grown. Nénu is still ahead, but Oscar is keeping pace with her. Not bad for the runt of the litter!

They adore that lightweight washable silk sheet I use to cover myself when taking naps on the couch in the summer. They hide behind and under it, they pounce on toys that are in it; it has a hundred uses. Because it's black and silk, it's warm, especially when the sun is on it. And it's loosely enough woven, if they get tangled in it, they can still breathe through it. But I've watched them with it a lot of times: it's slippery, so no one gets tangled for long.

Oh, while I was writing this, they settled down for a nap, and they looked so cute, I couldn't resist another pic.

I hope y'all are all doing well! =smile=

Good morning all. It's a gorgeous day here -- think the horrible heat has passed and we're back to our wonderful NW summer.

Fi Ah, yes, the joy of getting ready for company. I'm with Ubee in that running smack dab into a deadline propels me to actually get something done. Love your kitten pictures -- especially the one of them napping. Glad that the depression pain is at bay.

Ubee Yes, the stick vacuum is a cordless and the little thing really sucks up all of the little tiny pieces of mulch and the endless supply of dirt that he brings in. My only gripe is that it's a small dust/dirt container, so it has to be emptied a couple of time when I do the whole upstairs. As to the losing weight -- come on, we both know that watching what we eating and getting at least some exercise will make the weight come off. I just have to get the bejubies scared out of me to make it happen sometimes. Glad you have a social life.......Silent worries about us otherwise.

Silent Maybe Ubee and I could make another Vacation movie of our trip up to see you. No roads......we'll have to wait until the ground is frozen. Sounds like a great weekend. Did you get a tiara or a sash to wear for being prom queen? I'm with you -- I would have had to be a good sport as opposed to being happy to be the center of attention. Glad you're taking the antibiotics even if they can't figure out what's wrong.

Shinesgirl Welcome. We're glad to have you and hope that you'll enjoy posting with us.

Terra Sounds like you must need the sleep if you're sleeping through the alarm and falling back asleep. I figure my body will tell me when it's time to get up.

Didn't get the grass cut yesterday so I will do that today. I have a lot of yard work to do in the next week as there won't be time once my BIL has his second hip replacement surgery this year. The weight is still coming off -- down 13 pounds as of this morning. Evidently if one fore goes eating bags of potato chips, bags of Hersey kisses, and pints of ice cream, one will lose weight. It's a miracle! Have a great day!

Afternoon Everyone!

I am just getting up over here lol...Just sent my friend off and she's on her way back to Wilmington. I had a very nice weekend with her. I did indulge a little but but still watched my portions and didn't over do it. We had some drinks Friday and Saturday night which is not something I normally do anymore but we both wanted to have a little party since we don't really go out anymore. I definitely can't hang like I used to but I'm ok with that. We drank and commemorated the life of our friend Silviu...she met him through me and didn't know him as well as DH and I but it was the perfect send off and show of love and gratitude towards him..It was nice

We did end up getting a chance to go to the beach Saturday afternoon. It was nice, the tide was low and the sun wasn't so brutal but still managed to get some sun bathing in and a walk. I would have liked to walk longer than we did but her back started to hurt her so we only did about 20 minutes of walking...it was still nice none the less.

I weighed in for my 7 month weigh in at 268.4 so I lost 1.2 lbs this week...not too shabby! I was hoping for more but I'm sure the alcohol consumption and little treats I had this weekend caused me to not lose as much but that's ok.

My friend and I have had to change our gym days to Monday and Wednesdays now because our DH's have moved their band practice to Tuesdays. So I think I'm gonna start doing yoga on Tuesdays and on Thursday thru the weekend I'll do HIIT and cardio with DH.

I won't do personals today but hope everyone has a great day!! DH and I are gonna have a much needed rest day :)

*waving at everyone*
It's so nice to be here & read all your friendly notes - finding yr group is really helping me to stick to "my weight loss dream".

My problem is that I am completely lacking in willpower. : (

I hope everyone has a really nice Monday!

Betsy ~ Yeah your right I must of needed the sleep. Im up early today though, I got up at 2:00 am to talk to my mom before she went to work but I couldnt fall back to sleep so now Im up for the day, I may take a nap before we go shopping at 2:30.

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I got up at 2:00 am to talk to my mom before she went to work but I couldnt fall back to sleep so now Im up for the day, I may take a nap before we go shopping at 2:30. Im gonna go for my morning walk outside at 7 am and I'll do my 2 mile walk with my dvd at noon and then tonight I'll walk 2 miles again. I gonna do my laundry today before my mom gets home at 2:30 and Im also gonna clean the bathroom.

Good Morning!
Terra I had not heard of Blended but will rent it when it comes out. It looks good. Did you enjoy it?
Shinesgirl I also lack will power but I made a committment to get healthy. I realize coming here every day is going to be a major part of me making it to goal. Mind sharing what your plan is?
Kayley we are going to fall down along the way. The thing is getting back up like you did. Also the more we learn to quickly jump back up the fewer times we will fall. Do you know what caused the slip up this weekend? I hope you've taken all different angles of before photos even if they are just for yourself.
Sam 70+ pounds in seven months! I am so proud of you!
Betsy let me know if your vacuum stands the test of time. Mine always start out good and then poof they are a dust distributer. You know sometimes I just need someone to tell it like it is. Just keep it simple and lose the weight. Guess it makes me realize the ball is in my court. Time to put my big girl pants on and do what needs to be done.
Fi I feel like I am your kitties grandma I am so thrilled about them. The napping pictures make me want to kiss the little pads on their feet. I am so happy for you and Bob!
Silent I was raised on a farm so I have no trouble driving off road. Whatever it takes to get you healthy! I am thinking the antibiotics are helping because your social life is picking up. Please do tell us about your prom dress. I hope it had ruffles!
Angie, Jane, Sugar... time to check in with an update!
School starts in 2 weeks. I will get my routine back.
Yesterday at the ball game I had whatever I wanted to eat. It was strange because I just stopped. I didn't want any more. I really think it is my destiny to be trim.
So glad to have all of you here.

check in as requested. ..; )

still alive and kicking...
just have to finish work for today and then I'll hopefully have a chance not only to read you all...which I manage most days...but to also write;)

feel hugged dear ones...

Ubee ~ Yes I did enjoy the movie

Good morning all. Another beautiful day here. Of course, that does mean that I have absolutely no excuse to not work in the yard since it's also in the 70s. Wait, maybe I don't have enough sunscreen!

Sam Sounds like a great weekend and you still managed to lose for the week. My feeling is that we have to develop eating plans that do allow for the occasional "forbidden" items. For instance, I am never giving up chocolate cake for my birthday. But, that doesn't mean I need to have it every day. Hope you and DH enjoyed your day of rest.

kayley We absolutely want to hear about your operation and the good, bad, and ugly parts. I think our sharing our ups and downs with each other help all of us to make more informed decisions. Great news on the shopping and being able to go for such a long period of time.

Shinesgirl Wish I could tell you that lack of will power is never an issue for me, but Ubee would end up spending the day rolling on the floor laughing if I did that. Things that have helped: getting off of sugar and carbs for 3-4 days helps to dramatically decrease the cravings; finding substitutes that are healthy eating (for example, fruit when I'm craving a sweet or hard cheese when I want salt); stopping and asking myself if I'm actually hungry. I imagine that all of us have developed or are working on tricks to help with strengthening our will power.

Terra Funny how our bodies work, isn't it. I've had days where I'll wake up early, but then I do tend to crash about 8 at night. Hope you end up being able to take a nap.

Ubee How long is the test of time -- 2-3 years or a couple of decades. If it lasts five years, I'll be happy. Less than that, I won't be. The reviews for it have been good. Anything that gets me to willingly do housework isn't all bad. Glad you had fun at the game and I'm finding that sometimes when I give myself permission to have what I want, I don't really want it. Of course, other times I resemble a hoard of locusts decimating the chocolate aisle. Maybe we should each get a pair of pants that are too small but that we can get on and wear those to remind us to stay on plan!

Sugar Hi there. Glad to see you posting and look forward to an update.

Down another 1.5 pounds this morning although a whole lot of this weight loss has been water weight coming off slowly. Guess when you gain 20 pounds in a month, that's to be expected. I just finished roasting a big pan of veggies that I'll eat for the next few days -- carrots, beets, onions, zuchinni, and eggplant out of my garden. The green beans are beginning to come in and if I can beat Toby to them, the tomatoes are coming in. The dog evidently loves tomatoes plus the little (ok, big) stinker can tell which ones are ripe and picks those. Going to start my hour of cleaning and then off to the gym. Finally got the grass cut yesterday and am going to be doing a lot of weeding this week in my yard. Have a great day!

Hello everyone. I've been a bit MIA for a few days, I have been busy. The good news is I did not fall off the wagon and at weigh in at WW on Saturday I lost 6.2 lbs. I was happy after only 1.2 the week before.

Just wanted to give a quick update I will talk to you all soon.

Thanks for all the sweet comments on the kitty pics. And thanks especially, Kayley, for encouraging me to take care of myself. I wish I had done a better job of heeding your words. The fact of it is, I'm not doing very well. Starting on Saturday, trying to deal with the piles of clothes on the guest room bed—specifically, trying to sort them into different categories—drove me straight into depression pain.

That's what the BERP was all about: making decisions about what categories things belong in, what containers they go in (trash, recycle, donation to charity, keep—if so, where?). Some of y'all may remember that I calculated I was making some 200 decisions an hour. Even if I was only making 50 decisions an hour, the thing of it is, that went on for 17 weeks, about 40 hours a week. My ability to make those kinds of decisions is, for the time being, broken. No afternoon nap, no taking a day off, will repair it. It's going to be months before I can get back to being able to sort things, anything at all.

So trying to work on the clothes in the guest bedroom was like forcing a machine to keep going when it's run out of oil: you destroy the machine by doing that. I pushed myself right into depression. It was off and on for a couple of days, but last night I finally crashed hard. I was hurting so bad over working on the guest bedroom that Bob had to intervene and stop me. He says he will take over: he will put all those clothes into large clear plastic bags and put them under the bed. He will help finish getting the house ready for Mary's visit. After he told me that, I still got up and cleaned the downstairs powder room, toilet and all. That was the last straw: I fell into severe pain and could do nothing but lie on the couch and moan.

And I'm still hurting bad today. Man oh man, I've got to be really careful today and tomorrow, or I will be deep in depression pain when Mary arrives on Wednesday. I have to take my Geodon and barely make a move. And I'm due for an afternoon & evening with Grace tomorrow. I've made plans for teaching her a new collage technique. Those plans may have to be cancelled. Worst-case scenario: if I'm still feeling this bad tomorrow when it's time to pick up Grace, she can just come over and spend the time playing with, and observing, the kittens. As a future vet, she needs to learn a whole lot about cats. She'll love getting to do that; it won't be a problem.

Now I gotta stop writing. I need another dose of Geodon. I need to not move a muscle and try to stop worrying, maybe meditate if I can.

Hey all checking in...

This is a quick one because I'm about to lay down for the night....

Had a nice work out tonight with Suzanne...I pushed it hard and I'm glad I did because we had to cut it short because of the power going out at her house and her DH was freaking out because he was alone with the baby lol...men.

Made an awesome frittata tonight for dinner! It had ham, onion, mushroom, green beans, garlic, tomato and some cheese. I topped it with salsa and a dab of sour cream. It was so good I'm excited to have it for lunch tomorrow...

I'm off for tonight. I'll do personals tomorrow. I'm trying to start going to bed at the same time every night and cut all my media devices off an hour before bed. Hopefully I'll become a better morning person and have a better sleep schedule.

Good night!

Betsy ~ Yeah I was able to take a nap today

Ubee - I like what you said about making a commitment, & I absol. agree that coming here each day is a huge help! Since you mentioned school, I have to confess...every year at this time I meanly gloat that the students have to go back & I still have my "freedom". (How immature am I?!!)

Sugar - Hi : ) I hope you talk lots & lots about Germany b/c I wld love to hear more about it! I wld REALLY love to visit there & go to your famous Christmas markets!

Milliej - Congrats on losing 6.2 lbs!!! Woot woot!!!

Fiona W - Yikes, no wonder you finally "crashed" - that was some project you were doing! I felt overwhelmed just reading how much you've done! Defin. it's time to take a big step away from it & try to just convalesce! I know it will be hard to let it all go for a while, but pretend you're advising someone else on this - you wld want the best for them & you deserve the best as well.

Sam - oooh, your frittata sounds sooo yummy! (& defin NOT what I need to go to bed thinking about, lol)

Silent - I wld also like to hear about yr prom dress - the fancier the better!

Terra - You are inspiring me to try & start walking - I am so impressed at the mileage you do each day! (right now I just walk to the mailbox & back)

Betsy - Having sunscreen is defin a *good thing* (says me who just came back fr the dermatologist today w/ 2 sun-damaged areas that needed a blast of nitro being done) but the most important thing you need after working in the hot sun, is a plentiful supply of watermelon waiting in the fridge to refresh you when you drag yourself back indoors!

-sgrl (short for shinesgirl, much easier to write, lol)

Good Morning!
I am going through carb withdrawl and I am a bear!
Shinesgirl your post just reminded me that I have a watermelon in my fridge. That will definately help with my cravings.
Terra how is Clyde doing?
Sam good job making plans to get on a sleeping schedule. So important.(As I desperately tried to teach my kids.)
Fi:hug: Remeber Mary is coming to see you, not your house. Grace will love a day to focus on the kitties. Take care of you.
millie excellent news about the 6.2 loss!
Kayley do you have to go on a liquid diet before your surgery?
Betsy if a vacuum lasts a year I consider that good. So that means I should be able to use it 4 times without it breaking. I like the tight pants idea. I used to do that back in the day when I was losing. I love roasted veggies! My daughter and I can eat a huge pan in one sitting which can be expensive in the winter. Just an FYI when I see you losing it helps me so keep at it!!!
Sugar I am so pleased that you checked in. Thank you!
Jane, Jane, Jane???
So last night I wanted chocolate. Twice I asked my husband to go uptown and get me some. Twice he said yes. Twice I scolded him and told him he is supposed to say no. I need to retrain him. I told him he could enable all my other bad habits but not eating unhealthy.

Sorry ladies it was just a black dress, nothing special. Not very "prom" ish I tried on my high school "grad" dress and got it on but I couldn't really breath so that didn't fly. I never had a real prom (and I'm okay with that). So just simple black, that was it, nothing fancy I didn't do a fancy updo just straightened my hair that was all :-P

Thanks so much, shinesgirl and Ubee, for the words of sympathy and encouragement to take care of myself. Bob has really been steppin' up to the plate for me, working on both the guest bedroom and guest bath. We just have to make those rooms usable, not perfect! I went grocery shopping this morning to get a few necessities, but other than that, it's been rest, rest, and more rest. I was in depression pain last night, and a little bit this morning before my coffee kicked in, so I still don't know how I'm going to be doing during Mary's visit. I'm definitely going with Plan B for my time with Grace: a wee bit of art education, but mostly just playing with the kittens. Best wishes to all of y'all!

Just a fast pass through as I'm running late (for me....not sure how a retiree runs late!). Fi, feel better and Ubee hit the nail on the head -- the visit is with you, not the house! Ubee, once again you've got me laughing over using the vacuum 4 times in a year. So far, so good -- I am in love with the thing and have vacuumed twice, so we're half way through the test.

Sorry for not sending notes to everyone. Still on the downward march with the weight. Feel like Sherman marching to the sea.

Have a great day.

Sgrl ~ That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!, I am glad I'm inspiring you to try and start walking.

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Today I woke up at 7 am and Mom,Scott and I went to Habitat Restore to buy some area rugs and then at 10:30 am Mom and I went to my older brother's house to visit with him and his family and then we left there at 1:30 pm and then we came home and I took a nap from 1:30 to 4 pm and then we ate Free Birds Burrito's at 5 pm (Dinner) and now Im about to do my first walk of the day with my Leslie Sansone dvd, I did get my laundry done yesterday like I planned and I also got my room cleaned which I didnt plan but I still need to clean the bathroom, I'll probably do that tonight before I go to bed.

Shinesgirl The frittata was amazing! I even had the left overs for lunch today. Wanted to applaud you for walking to the mailbox and back...It is a great step in the right direction!!!

Millie Glad to see you posting again :) GREAT JOB on the weight loss this past week!!!!

Sugar Keep working girl you can do it!!! Glad to see you posting again too :)

Betsy I think you're right with allowing yourself a not on plan meal every now and then....But the hard part is remembering to not have it every day...I feel pretty lucky that my will power is so high so I haven't completely fallen off the wagon...I've gotten dangerously close but I can't ever go back to being that way again. I hadn't had a drink in over a year until my friend died so this weekend I really over indulged with the booze but it's out of my system and I'm glad I was able to grieve...That's the one thing about me and alcohol is if I'm really sad or really happy my emotions really run rampant. It felt good to let myself feel though.

Ubee You'll get through the carb withdrawal...It's ok!!! (((HUGS)))....You are right that you need to retrain DH lol....But if he's anything like my DH he will say yes because he's afraid of getting yelled at for not giving me what I want LMAO....I'm glad I'm not really like that anymore...My DH used to always try to help me not over eat and he always got the bad end of the stick when it came to food....Food really doesn't seem to control my life the way it did....more so now my healthy habits control my life and I'm ok with that, it keeps me accountable.

Fi I hope you enjoy your time with Mary and Grace...I'm sure everything will go fine. Big hugs to you my dear I know how that depression pain can be and I don't wish it on anyone...I hope the rest of the week looks like sunshine and rainbows for you <3

Silent Are you feeling any better???

Jane!!! Jane where are you!?!?!?!?! I really hope she is doing ok...Sending positive thoughts her way!!!

I actually made the time to sit down on the computer tonight to post which seems to be a rarity these days as I usually post on my phone but this makes it to much easier. Had a pretty good day today but didn't do so well with waking up like I'm trying to do lol...I hit the snooze for almost an hour...I am really bad with that...Maybe if I put my phone across the room to turn it off it'll be better??

I went walking with Suzanne after work today. I treated myself to a green tea frappucino from Starbucks today but it was small and I'm sure I burned it off plus more this evening....I almost thought we weren't going to get our walk in because it started raining just as I got to her house but it did eventually clear. I'd say we probably walked about 3.5 miles today, maybe 4. I didn't think to turn my tracker on my phone on.

DH and I had a poor man's meal tonight...at least that's what I call it lol...We had pinto beans with spicy cornbread. I dressed my beans with some jalapenos, salsa, little cheese and some sour cream...Pay day is tomorrow so I'll be able to go to the grocery store after work.

I've gotten hired for 2 makeup jobs coming up in October. I'm really excited to be doing this and should make about $215 plus any tips with the two jobs combined. One of the weddings is Oct 5th, the other is Oct 11th. I'm meeting with one of the couples next weekend to do a trial run on both of their makeup and just ordered some disposables tonight for the occasions since I'm out. I also need to shop for some false eye lashes but I'm hoping I can go to an inner city wig shop around here and find a good deal on some.

Anyway..It's time for me to turn off all my devices and head to bed.....Hope everyone had a great day! Check in tomorrow :)

Ubee - Poor you!!! carb withdrawal & choc cravings - arrrgh. That is TOUGH!

Silentartic - That was a teeny bit disappointing about the prom dress not having frills etc. but I'll get over it ~ le sigh~
Since I live in jeans & tee shirts, I live vicariously thu other people who actually wear "nice" clothing,lol.

FionaW - I'm so glad to hear that you are actually letting yourself get the rest you need! Your guests are coming to see YOU, they will like anything you put out there, so your job till they arrive, is to just sit back & sip on a 2nd cup of coffee, & prepare to enjoy their visit. (Sometimes I think I drink coffee just for the lovely smell, esp. hazelnut!)

Betsy - Hey, being on a downward trend on the scale is a pretty fine update! Good for you! Woo hoo!
A teeny lesson I learned today is that I cannot have an open bag of Chex Mix offered to me. But burning up calories by vacuuming my house seems like too harsh a solution, lol.

Terra - Thanks so much for the "awesome" it made me feel really good. In fact, b/c of your encouragement, this wk-end I'm going to buy myself a pair of proper shoes that will give me proper support. Sounds like you had a nice day - I'm a big fan of Habitat Restore. (hmm, another idea for my wk-end!)

Sam - If you figure out a way to get yourself out of bed, pls share it b/c I am terrible at getting up! I don't even hear the alarm, never mind hit the snooze button.
Congrats on landing those 2 jobs - being a make-up artist sounds so glamorous, but I'm sure it takes a whole lot of effort!
*still drooling @ the sounds of that frittata*

Ubee ~ Sorry I just read your post, To answer your question though Clyde is doing good.

Sgrl ~ Im glad to hear your going out to buy walking shoes this weekend and you may stop by Habitat Restore, That is an awesome store but you already know that LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 5:30 am and I've already done my morning duties. I just came back in from going for my morning walk. Im gonna take a shower at 8:30 am and then I'll get ready to go to school at 9:30 am. I'll come back home at 4 pm. My plans for today is to get the bathroom cleaned(Yes I can I said I was gonna clean it but I havent yet) Im also gonna get my 2 mile walk in tonight also.

Good Morning! I am so happy to have this special place to come to!
Terra please do share what you did in school today.
shinesgirl it sounds like you fit in with many of us on here that do not like housework. I am getting better. The more things I get rid of the less I have to clean or move to clean. Good shoes are so important. Glad you are getting some.
Sam I am really proud of you for how well you are doing. Such a hard time yet you are full of positive energy! I taught my kids to put their alarm on the other side of the bedroom.
Betsy how are your weeds? We got a soaking rain and today would be a perfect day for "someone" to pull them. I think I am going to look into that vacuum. The last of my carpet will be out next month so it sounds ideal for my tile and wood.
Fi coffee is my favorite medication. Hope all goes well and you have the best girlfriend time!
Silent I will give you a pass this time on your social prom party thing because you are still recovering. Next time remember "It is not done until it is over done."
Jane, Angie, Millie, Sugar, Kayley,...thinking of you!
Read somewhere, "Food is the most overused anxiety med and exercise is the most under used anti-depressant."

Good morning all. Hope this finds everyone doing well.

Terra Sounds like a busy day yesterday. I love the Habitat Restore places, too -- so many good finds there and I feel like I'm helping someone in the end.

Sam Your meals are always so creative -- loved the "poor man's" meal as some of those are on my favorites list. And you're right -- the occasional off plan meal isn't going to hurt, it is when every meal is off plan.

Shinesgirl Housework of any kind is almost akin to a dirty word around here. But all the local cleaning personnel charge between $25-30/hour, and I can clean my own house for that. I have to admit that I think being enthralled with a vacuum is a little weird though even for me.

Ubee The weeds are still there. I know that is a shock. However the tomatoes and apples are seriously decimated due to the fact that Toby and Becky keep "picking" them and eating them. I'm still in love with the vacuum. I'm still waiting for that exercise high to hit me some day......maybe the intensity level is a little low!

Fi Hope you're feeling better, looking forward to Mary's visit, and have given Bob a big kiss for finishing up (sort of) the guest room. Have a great visit.

Time to clean the kitchen and the baths. Had an on calorie day yesterday but way too many carbs so I gained half a pound. I definitely have to keep the carbs within bounds or else I just absorb water. Don't know that I've read anything about water retention from carb intake, but that's what seems to happen with me. However, my tomato soup tasted ssssssoooooo good yesterday. Have a great day.

Ubee ~ I had a DA4A meeting, It was from 1 pm to 3 pm and then I came home but I got to school a little after 10 am this morning though so it was a long day by the time I got home at 3:30.

Betsy ~ Yes there are great finds at that store. I feel good about helping people in the end too.

Back after a pretty long time
 

Sorry I've been gone a while, but I didn't just "drop out" of the weight loss thing, I had some health issues...

Went on Vacation some time ago, and then was fighting a dry cough for weeks... Went to my primary care doc three times over about a week and a half period, and never got any relief... Doc finally ordered a CT scan, and it showed multiple blood clots on both lungs... In the ER, they found clots in both legs, too!

I spent about a week in the hospital, three weeks at home on oxygen, and then I've been back at work a couple weeks now. I'll be on thinners for 3-6 months, and then we'll decide if I need them longer. Still don't have my energy back, and if I do too much or walk too fast, I can't quite get enough air. I'll get back to normal, but it seems to be taking longer than I'd like.

I'm very, very lucky, as I could have had a stroke or worse at any time with those clots.

I will say that the doggies enjoyed having me home for several weeks, LOL.

Anyway, I should be around a bit more with updates on the coffee of the day!

Dean

Welcome back Dean