Good morning all.

I had a good night’s rest, hope you to. It is one of my best friend’s birthday today and we will go over for a braai tonight, she became a grandma last week Wednesday. OOOOOHHHHHH is she excited, that little girl is so happy to have a big family that just adores her. (She is the first grandchild.)
Weekend: Saturday morning I am planning on doing a little gardening. My mother in-law (Emmie), sister in-law (Nada) and myself are going to attend the year end function of the Church (ladies) on Saturday afternoon. We have to wear a “funny” homemade hat and something blue. They have arranged for someone to talk to us about something (I don’t know what the subject is, but I am sure it is going to be something interesting and educational). There will be people that are going to sell home made stuff like candles, cloths, and allot of goodies Sunday we will go to church and spend a quit afternoon at home.

Sue – I am glad you got your acceptance, Good Luck for the future.

Jennifer – don’t worry, remember we are here for you and you WILL get through this. Where is the girl that helped met through my chocolate nightmare? I just know you will get up and go on.

Pooky – she looks adorable, and thanks for the snow picture.

It sounds like you all enjoyed your Halloween!

Hope you all have a nice Friday and a lovely weekend.

REMEMBER TO DRINK THAT WATER!!!!

(I would like to add a picture under my name, HOW????)

Well it is 3:30 am here and I have not slept a wink. I spent the night at my mom's house because we are having a garage sale today and tomorrow here at her house and I am looking for shoppers as early as 5:00 am.

Well I have never done this before and let me just say to all of you who said it MAN THIS IS A LOT OF WORK!!! Sure hope somebody shows up to buy all this junk and sure hope that I make millions today! hehe

The reason I haven't slept is because my mom is a smoker and the smell of smoke in the house wakes me up every 5 minutes - don't know how I grew up in a house where both my parents smoke??? yuck!!!! Oh well - bet I sleep good tonight from sheer exhaustion. lol

I hope everybody has a great day - I will let yall know how the sale goes.

Monday I will be getting my weight loss butt in gear and getting back in control. I have been working up to this for weeks now.

hugs all,

cathy

Two early birds this a.m! I'm impressed!

Cathy, not sleeping is terrible - especially because of smoke. Sure hope tonight is better and also that you get rid of all the stuff and make millions!

Hensa, sounds like a really fun weekend. I take it a braai is a SA party? The "end of the year" ladies party puzzled me for a bit until I realized summer is starting over there. It's like our Spring wind-up teas. I love the hat idea - may borrow that for our spring tea.

Worked my butt off at the Office all day yesterday (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and got the darn Financial Reports ready for copying. Now, if we lived in the city, I could have left the copying until Sunday morning and had warm reports for the 1:30 meeting! Our Secretary Manager teaches and gets them done at school so today is it! We pay a decent rate per page to the school but it sometimes is really inconvenient. In the middle of slugging away, I got a brilliant idea about changing the format for next year to make it easier. I have been following the layout I inherited from the previous Treasurer - a non-computer type who was very old fashioned. She used a fountain pen! Guess it could have been a quill pen! Anyhow, when the dust settles from this one after Sunday's meeting, I will draft it for approval by the Board.

There are no more Halloween treats in this house! I did not eat them all - just some - and DH has hidden the rest. Good man!

Today is a ME day - sort of. That means I get to stay home and do laundry and vacuuming and other exciting stuff. I do have a load of topsoil coming for the Church and also need to scrounge some volunteers for tomorrow morning. My pal Doctor Bob bought over 1000 daffodil bulbs to plant where we dug the wiring
trench. Somehow I think we will need more than three people to plant and spread earth tomorrow.

Hey, my sister just found out that she does NOT have a heart condition! Her first test was a false positive and she was retested with that injections stuff. You just lie there and they drip in stuff that makes your body think it is exercising and that pumps up your heart. I can see that in my future!

DH is up and dressed and whining for bacon and eggs so I am off to start the official part of the day.

The Hershey nursery is attached. She is hiding some puppies under her hind leg and her tail. Black dogs turn into ink blots the minute you point a camera at them.

Good Morning Chickies!

Ruth, you sound like me, I have all my bulbs to plant too but I have to have a dry day to do it! I haven't been too lucky so far....

Oh Cathy, I don't envy you at all! you'll be totally exhausted by the end of the day and be thrilled that the darned thing is over with!

Hensa, hope you have a lovely party at your friends house, a new baby sure is something to celebrate!

Speaking of baby, I'm off to the doctor this morning to get him to do a blood test. I did a home pg test this morning and it is still negative but I can't shake the feeling that there's something going on. The blood test will be more definite so hopefully I will have fabulous news soon!

The rest of the day is laundry, laundry, laundry. I know it's bad when dh is scrounging for pants!!!

Have a good one chicks!

Ruthxx

Yes, a braai is a SA party, it is very similar to your barbecues except we braai steak, tops and ‘boerewors’ on the roster. With that we have pap and sauce (tomato and onions), fresh home baked bread (like cornbread or a beerbread), “roosterkoeke” and some salads like potato salad and a green salad. For starters we usually braai pork ribs that we eat directly from the fire. For desert there is usually “melktert”, “koeksisters”, or in summer we love fruit like watermelon etc.

For drinks we have beer, wine or “gemmerbier” a beer we brew form ginger.

We braai in winter and summer but in summer we don’t even need a reason to have a braai it is usually done every weekend.

If any of you guys ever come over to visit I will arrange a big braai especially for you.

So now you know were my weight problem comes from.

Good Friday Morning to all!

OP and feeling good and committed! Plans for the weekend include; indoor cleaning, finish up my yard work, soccer, basketball game, school play, church, and take the boys to Grandma's so I can have some private time with dh. We need to discuss insurance options for next year.

Susan, great news on your new business, will you be opening an office in Michigan?

Ruth, Great news about your sister.

Pooky, love that picture of Miree!

Peachie, Where are you? Are you spending your evening staying up watching those Yanks win!?!

Jennifer, good to see you posting.

MamaJ hope all is going well for you and your, hugs and prayers your way.

Welcome back McMom!

Take care ladies and have a great weekend.

jenny

WOW talk about your early birds LOL.

Made a huge turkey dinner yesterday and had the neighbors come over. Had a good time and not much leftovers which I love.

Going by mom's today.
Have a GREAT DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Leens

Who knows!!!1 Was talking to a friend when i read it and we both was laughing!!! LOL Maybe some day I will grow and i will definatly kep that inmind. I need to open one here first!! LOL thanks for the vote of confidence.

leens i can taste the turkey! I had to go out and buy a roasting chicken just because you had me hungry!!! i have stuff for stuffing (for the rest of them) and tons of vegies for me!!! thanks for the tip.

Hensa your foods all sound so good!! maybe some day if i become rich i will come and visit, and we can have a briaai !!!

Pooky i am all crossed for you. HMMMM it sure is hard to walk but i can hold my water alot better!!

Ruth way to go!!! it is sure an accoplishment to get those things done and out of the way!!! and good news for your sister. Hope all is well your way and have a relaxing day today

Janice, sending prayers and hope your way!! you are in my thoughts.

Caty you areout of your mind for doing a garage sale. i did ONE and only ONE. i had people try to take my portable phone that was hoked up in the house!!! they tried tot ake the baby's swing that i had just pulled her out of, and some wanted her, but nobody wantd the junk i had!!! so never again i donate all my stuff now and get a tax deduction.

Just got a message from the Sec/MAnager and I need to make some changes in my reports! Back to the office for a bit.
AND forgot to attach the pic. Duh!

It's a beautiful day here in Wisconsin USA, although it is windy. I fell asleep again at the keyboard this morning. Gotta stop that! I think it is the meds. I'm going to try to get to the sewing room today. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of picking up my grandson, Jeffrey, from preschool and spending a little time with him. For not-quite-four, he is a very mature child. And very humorous.
Tomorrow, DH and I will head for the city for a bit of shopping. We have to exchange a pair of pants of his as they are too small. LOL! The man doesn't understand how come his waist keeps growing. And I refuse to let the pants out at the waist AGAIN so he can keep up the idea that he fits that size. (And we think we're the only ones that do that!)
So...happy weekend and take care!

I could swear that someone came into my bedroom last night and stuck wads and wads of cotton candy into my head where my brain's supposed to be!
And I know who's mostly to blame too. It's those damn Diamondbacks! Peachie and Jenny, you arranged this didn't you? Two games in a row where the D-backs lose in extra innings. Sheesh. Debkay, where are you? I need you! Please come help me get through this, please, please...

Hensa - I want to go with you. That sounds like way too much fun!

Cathyxxx - Our garage sale is tomorrow and today will be spent getting everything finished. My DH is home (oh joy!) all day and ready to bark orders. Hopefully you and I will be rich, rich, rich! I'm going to roll around in the millions naked, how about you?

Ruth - I love the expression on Hershey's face. She looks so gentle and kind of like "oh man, what was I thinking?" I love puppy breath. (Does that make me wierd?)

MamaJ - I miss you. Hope things are going a bit better and you can come out and play sometime.

Gotta go and work out. Maybe the cotton candy will melt with all that generated heat.
Chickadee

Oh my gosh I overslept and feel like I missed the party...... Must have been that supreme effort to dig the old treadmill out. Guess what SUCCESS its out and clean and ready to rock and roll. It always sounds like a meat grinder going but it works so guess thats all that matters... I could do a whole ten minutes on it yesterday. I also have heart trouble so that was plenty till I work myself up to a real walk..... Did it really make me realize how I've let myself go! But I'm not going to beat myself up, only positive thought.... I can, I am, I will!!!!

Hensa- I love hearing about things you do. Its so interesting. The braii sounds wonderful. And congrads to your friend.
Cathyxxx-Oh are you ever going to be "pooped" I've been selling dolls at craft shows and its like yard selling. Its amazeing how hard you work.
Ruth- your puppies are adorable. You always sound so very busy.
Pooky- good luck!!!
DonDar- Sounds like you've got a big day planned....
Leens-Yummy, I love that leftover turkey, how nice to have the neighbors over. Our nearest one is a mile away so sometimes I miss that..
nasus40- Howdy to you!!
Tippy- What kind of meds.? What a way to start your day with keyboard marks on your head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chickadee- Good luck on the rest of your day...
Good day to all who come after..... Have a wonderful OP day....

AAAAAAAWWWWWWWW, Ruth, I love looking at little tiny black blobs becasue I see cutie little tails! oooh, Miree would just love to be there now!

You all are just too wonderful! Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers. I believe that they are working. DH has let Stephen come back home (again) and is also allowing him to work with him again. We still have continued issues and court cases to deal with and each day I hold my breath and pray that Stephen won't do something else stupid but we will continue forward. The psychiatrist indicated at this weeks session that it is my fault. Quote "You have allowed and tolerated unacceptable behavior with no consequence". Hmmm, after two sessions? I asked her (after informing her that yes he has been disciplined but not by punching him in the face as the EX and DS's "dad" wanted) Where is the distinguished dividing line of somewhat normal adolescent behavior and a child with a problem? When you have an ex calling CPS on you and making phony reports just with the hope of either finding something wrong or mentally beating you down--how harsh of any form of physical punishment would you suggest? Hmmm? So, I guess the opinion is that what I felt was a mothers love fighting for her child made me the responsible party. With that said....enuff!

I've missed you guys too and had hoped to post a bit more but Sue (nasus) and I got to chatting and my free time is about up.
Had a wonderful chat tho! I'm so excited about your approval!

I'll read some more posts and try to check back in later!

I truly don't know what I'd do without ya'll!

J

Hi,

Thanks to everyone for your support. I'm feeling better now, but know I have a hard month ahead of me. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm going to NY at the end of the month. I'm going with my mom, sister, sister-in-law and several other female relatives. Since I live in a different state than they do, I don't see them very often and the last time I saw any of them was Labor Day weekend when I weighed at least 20 lbs less than I do now. My family, even those who are overweight, are obsessed with weight (now you know where I got it). I told my mom that I gained 10 lbs (figured I could lose the rest) to prepare her & she said, "why did you do that?" If I knew why, I wouldn't have done it (I have an eating disorder). Also, I'll have to see DH's family at Thanksgiving and the last time I saw them was one week before Labor Day so I was much smaller then too. They're just as weight obsessed as my family. I feel like the only positive attention I've gotten is because of my weight loss & that's all anyone ever wants to talk about. I probably sound whinier than ever, just wanted to let ya'll know why I get so obsessed. I really don't feel like I'll be able to enjoy my trip unless I lose this weight, so I have to lose at least 20 lbs in 3 weeks. I'm realistic enough to know it probably won't happen, but I'm going to do what I can.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Jennifer