HI, I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good, I spent most of my time in the yard, working on my gardens. Today, it's raining and cold and the temps are suppose to remain way below normal. I'm glad I got as much done outside as I did. Today, I cleaned my house and now I get to exercise and spend the rest of the day focusing on me. Kind of a treat to myself. I bought one of those large balls that you exercise on (Walmart 13 bucks), so there will be no weight bearing. I cleaned out my exercise room, got rid of the stuff that I wasn't using and now there is a lot more room. Some of that stuff I was just moving from here to there everyday to make room for floor exercises. Some of it was convinent places to hang clothes when I ironed.
I seem to have lost 5 lbs since I started to exercise and diet again. Some of it is water of course. I really wanted to get to below 200 by my birthday, but I will at least be closer than I was last year.

I have little tomatoes on my tomato plants. I can't wait till their ripe. I do have some lettuce I can cut and eat and spinach. It's so pretty, I hate to cut it. It's too wet to get in there today anyway.

Anne, hope your feeling better. Aleka, how's your back? Hi Cheryl, are you still walking?
I'm much better than last week. My ankle is not as painful. I've been having some premenopause problems lately (I think). Last week, I thought I was coming unglued-really emotional, crying over songs on the radio at subway (I usually never even hear that back ground noise) and wanting to kill DH for making noise while he ate, that kind of thing. I need to either go to the Dr. or read some on this. It's really unfair. I've noticed some memory problems. Like when I want to drop a letter off at the post office. If I don't have it in my hand, in front of my face, I forget I'm suppose to go there and just go where ever I was heading to originally. I can chant over and over, go to the post office, go to the post office and then when I get to the turn off, I've spaced it off and am thinking of something else. Anyway, I should go to the Dr. and see if that's the problem or something else.

Take care you guys, Nikki

Good Morning All:

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but was on the war path and
watching every move we made.

Nikkic, I am so glad to hear your ankle is feeling better. I know
how aggravating pain can feel after my recent encounter with
my back!!!

I too am in premenopaue and it can be annoying. The biggest
problem I experience is irregular cycles. For someone like me who
was always every 28 days its awful.

The thought of this going on into my 50's makes me . I haven't
had any hot flashes etc yet so I guess that means I have a way
to go yet........

Our weather has been so so. We are still below the seasonal
average for this time of year.

I love tomatoes. You must be really looking forward to getting
into those great vegtables!!!

Hi Aleka, how are you? Any luck in the coconut oil department
yet?

Hi Cheryl.

Talk to you later .
Anne.

Just popping in to let you chicks know that there definitely is life after menopause. However, I do sympathize.

I haven't been able to post lately because I've been a busy little bee!

Like Ruth says, there is life after menopause. I had a hysterectomy 10 yrs. ago, at 44 and what freedom! You don't have to "plan" your vacation around your TOM. I just can't describe how great it is. Other people will feel differently. I am, as you can guess, 54. Anne, your 50's are wonderful years. I dreaded turning 50, but I've never been happier. You seem to be more at peace with yourself, at least I do anyway, and it's a good feeling.

ANNE, I haven't had any luck finding coconut oil. I tried Trader Joe's and Bread & Circus, but no luck. B&C had every kind of oil imaginable except for coconut oil. I was reading in Health Magazine, also in Woman's world about a new oil that helps people lose weight and is good for your heart, it's called Enova oil. According to the article in Health magazine, it was developed in Japan and they have been using it for a few years. It is being test marketed in Atlanta & Chicago and will be available nation wide sometime. There is a website where you can buy it online in case you can't find it in Toronto. www.enovaoil.com I think I'll look into it. Sorry you had such a rough day at work.

nikki, glad your ankle is feeling better. We visited my IL's yesterday, and I noticed their tomato plants are still little bitty plants! I can't get over your's are starting to get tomatoes already. My MIL gave us 2 plants that she wasn't able to use, so we'll be planting our's pretty soon. We probably won't see any ripe tomatoes until Aug. sometime. My back is doing ok. I get zings every once in awhile if I do too much...like shopping, which I did the other day and my back, along with my wallet, let me know about it.

Hey Cheryl!

Take care and have a wonderful day.
Aleka

HI,
Ruth and Aleka, thanks for the words of encouragement about life after 50 I've always looked forward to this time in my life. My TOMs have never been regular and sometimes it's like I'm hemmoraging. I've even had to go home from work because it was like a flood. DH will sure be glad when my mood swings aren't so exagerated too. I try so hard to control my emotions, but it's like I can't have a right thought in my head. Now that I'm getting closer to menopause, it's even worse. I will sure be glad when this is all over and I'm on the other side of it.

I planted my tomato plants in April, when it was suppose to be too early. I figured if something happened to them, I'd just replant. We didn't have any snow or ice, so they were fine. The weather has been funny this year. It's cold and wet and will be for at least a week. Well, in the 70's anyway, which is cold for this time of year here. I'm not complaining, normally, we would be sweltering and dripping with sweat. It isn't suppose to rain today, so I will be able to get back outside for awhile.

Anne, how's things with David? Has he returned to school yet? What is it like in Canada with schools, do they go year round or are they out for the summer like down here? Personally, I wish they would go all year. Those kids just seem to get into trouble with too much time on their hands. Of course when I was a kid, I didn't think that way

Aleka, the shopping will do me in eventually. I've pretty much stopped shopping off the tv and substituted with ebay. I have gotten several really nice, (new with tags) returned clothes from ebay for not a lot of money. People buy lots from QVC and HSN of returned items then sell them on ebay. There are several Denim & Co items which is what I wear almost all the time. I got a beautiful suede jacet that was in the unopened package for $19. I looked it up on the Q and it sells for $68. Yesterday, I got a denim barn coat for $1.50. Of course there is s&h but it's still a deal. I have bought enough clothes for now, at least till I get into the next size. Then it's shopping, shopping, shopping!! Those coats are a little snug right now and will be just right this fall (I hope). If not, I'll give them to DD.

Got to go, DH is working on the car and the yelling is getting distracting. I'll have to go see what is the matter, Nikki

Hey Alice, Anne and Nikki!!!!!

Sorry I've been AWOL lately.

I'm still walking, when time and weather permit! Sunday I helped Stewart load and unload wood. Whoo!! Talk about a workout!! I asked him if he'd let me help him again sometime and he looked at me like, "DUH!!!" I really enjoyed the physical exhaustion that I got from that work!

I'm not close to menopause (I hope), but I feel for the rest of y'all. I feel like I'm getting a heads-up of what's to come!

I love, love, love e-bay!!! I think that for a while I was actually addicted!!

Tomatoes--blech!! I guess they're OK as long as they're still "crunchy."

Will weigh-in in about 20 minutes at my WW meeting. Almost as nervous as if I were about to go to a job interview or give a presentation or something!!

Cheryl

Lost 4 1/2 lbs. at my weigh-in last night. Probably mostly water!! My goal for next week is to lose the other 1/2

Hope the three of you are doing GREAT!!!!!

Cheryl

HI everyone,
Cheryl I'm so happy for you! It sure does feel good to see the scale move in the right direction, doesn't it? Some of it is water, but not all of it.
You were talking about unloading wood yesterday. I like to do that too. I think it's because when we get it, it's in the winter time and there are usually 4 of us doing it. It seems fun because we laugh and talk. It's good exercise too, lots of bending over, lifting and breathing deeply.
Cheryl, have you ever eaten a tomato out of the garden? They are so much different than store bought, it's not even close. Some are better than others too. I like the sweet 100 baby tomatoes rather than some of the larger sized mini tomatoes. They are sweeter and their skin is not as thick.

I really like the deals I've gotten lately on Ebay. I am kind of addicted to it too, so I have to stop looking for awhile.

DH's vacation starts today, so we will be going camping. We were talking of taking the camper out today. We went to some campgrounds last night looking for a space and most of them were taken. I was surprised, it's been cold and rainy and it's the middle of the week. There is also some reports of dead birds that were tested and have the nile virus. I'm not worried about us, we use lots of spray, but I wonder about the animals, especially my outside cats. They have long hair, but still would get a few bites. This year is suppose to be extremely bad for mosquitoes and ticks because of all the rain we've had. The ticks have been especially bad. When I go out to garden, I usually find one or two crawling up my clothes every time.

Anne and Aleka, hope your day is going well. Hi Ruth and Jennifer if your reading this.

Take care, got to get a shopping list for camping made up, Nikki

Hi Everyone:

The strick is finally over and Sean and David were back in school
today!!! Nikkic, the last day for school here is June 27/03. The
kids will be on vacation until Labour Day.

I can't beleive it. I too am addicted to ebay! I have bought
so much stuff....... I have bought video's, perfume oil,
video games for the kids, jewlery the list is too huge to go
through........ Nikkic, I am sure I have an addictive
personality. Everything I do I do excessive........(I'm not joking
either )

Cheryl! Great news about the weight loss 4 1/2 pounds
makes quite a difference! Good Job.

Work has been a drag lately, between the SARS and I am
wiped when I get in at night.

Dad went for his check-up today and there is no sign of his
cancer!!!! His tumour was the size of a quarter and
in his x-ray today there is no sign of it!!!
He goes back again in four months. God willing, I hope his good
results will last.
Hi Aleka! we have tons of rain, whats your weather like?

Talk to you Later.......

Anne.

We had a fantastic couple of days, but it has started raining...yet again...this morning...sigh.

The area I live in is mostly inhabited by summer people, we have a few year round people, but not many. Anyway, a friend of mine is up for the summer and yesterday we went out to lunch and some shopping. It was nice.

Cheryl, congratulations on your weight loss! 4 1/2 lbs. is fantastic!! Keep up the good work. Unloading wood is good exercise. When you do something like unloading wood, working in your yard, etc., you're tired, but it's a good tired.

nikki, have a great time on your camping trip. Have you found a spot yet? Hope you have fantastic weather. There is something you can get from your Vet, I believe it's called Frontline, that you can put on your animals that repels fleas, ticks, etc. and it lasts for 2-3 months. Since we've had so much wet weather we are infested with mosquitoes and we're going to put some of that on our dog. We put some on her before we left for FL in Feb. It seemed to work because she didn't come home with any ticks or fleas from FL. You have gotten some bargains on e-bay. I'm still watching HSN. I bought a "Toni tail" on HSN a week or so ago. It's a hairpiece that you clip onto the back of your head that looks like a long thick ponytail. You put your own hair in a ponytail, and clip the Toni tail over it. I LOVE it! No more bad hair days!!!

ANNE, that's wonderful news about your Dad. I can imagine how relieved you all must be. I wish him continued good health. Do the kids have to make up the time that the teachers were on strike? Sorry you're having such an awful time at work. Hopefully the SARS will eventually go away. I think of you everytime I hear something on the news about it.

Have a good day everyone.
Aleka

Nikki--I've had home-grown tomatoes. It's not the skin or even really the flavor I don't like, it's all that snotty stuff where the seeds are and just the texture of them in general. That's why I like them not quite ripe, they still have that kind of crunchiness. I also don't like peaches, strawberries or grapes (unless any of the three are frozen). Don't know why I'm weird that way!! SO GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR DAD

Alice--Whoo-hoo!!! Summertime. I know those summer folks probably drive you locals NUTS at times! All I can say, though, is that THIS YEAR I'M GONNA BE ONE OF THEM!!! My trip is getting closer every day! Wish I could swing through New Hampshire and meet you!!

Anne--I go through spells on e-bay. Like, I'll think of something I need and buy bid on it for a month or so and then I'll just switch items. So far I've gone through Barbie Dolls, Victoria's Secret fragrances, Nintendo games and a brief Melmac stint to get some dishes for my mom. I'm a very varied consumer!!

Hi,
I spent 1/2 hour typing a reply and when I submitted it, I was kicked off the internet by my server. So, in a nut shell, here it is-
We found a camping spot, it's nice and peaceful. The mosquitoes are pretty thick. I bought some of that stuff that the US army uses and will use that tonight.
Aleka, I bought a Tony tail too. I think they are nice and well made, but my hair is definately golden blond and their version of it is not even close. You could really tell it was not my hair. I liked it so much, I even thought of having my hair dyed to match it, but sent it back in the end. I've used Frontline on my cats before, it does the job for fleas and ticks, but not mosquitoes. They do have something out for dogs to repel mosquitoes, not cats. My cats also kill and eat birds, so even if they had something like that, they will naturally attack any bird that is sick and eat it. I'm worried about that. Thank you for the idea and thinking of me.
Anne, great news about your dad!!! Is his back healing up?
I have problems with addiction and addictive behaviors, so that's why I'm trying to get a handle on this shopping and ebay business. It's so easy for me to over do anything. I'm constantly watching myself and trying to stop things before I get carried away. It's not always easy and sometimes, I don't even realize I'm doing something for awhile. I could get addicted to exercise if I wasn't phyisically unable to.
Take care, Nikki

Good morning....

The rain has left and the sun is shining this morning. DH & I will be outside working in the yard enlarging our garden and transferring some lilies around.

nikki, I got the golden blonde too. Actually, my hair is more the dark blonde, but I have highlights put in every 5 months or so. I just had my hair highlighted the other day and the golden blonde is a perfect match. I'm sorry you weren't happy with your's. I figure the Toni tail will be a Godsend this summer. If it ever warms up

Cheryl, ya, your trip is getting closer. Wish you could swing by NH too. Where we are located the summer tourists aren't too bad compared to other tourist areas, but bad enough.

ANNE, has your rain left too?

Take care and have a great weekend.
Aleka

Hi Ladies:

Thank God its Friday I am sitting at my desk in the main
lobby of the hospital that I work at with this tight horrible mask
on my face All I can say is this really sucks........I can't wear my
reading glasses because they keep fogging up so I am operating
at a real disadvantage.

Aleka, our weather today is lovely. But guess what! More rain
Saturday

Nikkic, dads back is healing nicely. I just hope the good news
holds out four months down the road.

Hi Cheryl, hope everything is going well with you too.

Have a great day ladies I know I'll have a ball sitting in
this lobby

Talk to you later.
Anne.

Hi,
It's raining here. It will rain all day they say, so we can't decide what to do. I don't really want to go to the pork expo in the rain. I think I'll just go out to lunch with DD and then do some light shopping. DH wants to wait and see what the weather will do, but I think it's just going to keep raining.
We had some company last night. The man is an old friend of ours, the woman he married a couple of years ago. We just do not like her. She seems to really get under our skin like no one else can. We try to get along with her for our friends sake, but it's hard when she's such a
Guess I'll get on the ball and exercise. Later, Nikki