Happy Friday & Hello Yall!
First,
Welcome Jules & Dina! 
These ladies are wonderful, looking forward to more of your posts so we can get to know you too.
Freda, I'm a nurse as well & starting to wonder... do ALL nurses in this age group have issues with their backs? I had my surgery ten years ago & the back is the first thing to tell me that I weigh too much. Between keeping the BP down & the back pain at bay, I'm motivated. Interesting how we shift from wanting to wear the little black number (yeah I'd love to get into it anyway) to wanting to be healthy & avoid chronic problems.
LindaD! Yay for your son finding a position so quickly! Networking has worked for us in the past & we still heavily rely on it to get where we're headed. I collect cookbooks as well but not really for the recipes. Just as you described, you can see a slice of another life in those things. A couple that had me rolling out of my chair laughing was the Big A.. Cookbook for the Sweet Potato Queens

by Jill Conner Brown & White Trash Cookin'. If I actually ate the stuff I'd probably be in serious trouble with a cardiologist but love the stories.
Seem to be in a rhythm here. Get out of bed & go to the gym

w/ DH (yes he's still here, another story) & see how fast I can tackle 3.25 miles then back to the gym in the evening for Jillian's Torture Hour

. Lately not losing weight but looking like some inches are coming off. Pretty much have decided that if I weigh 300 but can fit into a size ten, no complaints here. Zumba is a couple of times a week & have to add two more classes to keep DD happy. We're starting a boot camp month at the local Y that includes four fitness classes per week on top of our current workouts. The plan is to ramp up the activity during the holidays. Good thing it's temporary, we're progressing to insane.
Karen congratulations on that three pounds!!!

You're so disiplined & that's fantastic! Your mailbox sounds like it's in the next county & you actually walked the girls further than I take the boys. We have a couple of half mile hikes that I've been taking them on & it really does seem to mellow them out for at least an hour or so. Today was bathe the dogs day, subsequently it's progressed to wash all of my towels day. Now I need to fortify myself for 'bathe the thirty pound cat day' which could result in 'call the plumber to fix the drains day' What fun. Good luck with the apple pie.

In retrospect I should have put the duct tape over my mouth when I was doing all of that baking last week. We live & learn.
Husband seems to think he'll get an offer on Monday afternoon. For his sake, I sure hope so. I'd hate to actually express myself to him when he's suddenly decided to be Chef in the kitchen with produce flying everywhere while he's reorganizing my cabinets.

After he cooked (a really good pasta meal) the kitchen was a disaster zone, including the cabinets & ceiling. (a few times he's run the blender without the lid on it.... imagine that) I suggested he go find a girlfriend to fill his spare time & he didn't comply. Sweet guy but he's making me nuts.
Gayle! Hi! Work paper? What work paper? huh?
Gotta go, more laundry & the babe alert is about to sound again. Hugs to everyone & if I didn't mention you, still thinking about you too!
Marylynn