lCFS week of 3-7
 

Hi,
It is sunny and very nice here. I am so ready for spring and getting outside again (and enjoying it :D ) Oh look, new icons, love this one, it is me :coffee: I look just like this now. 3FC's are always making this place just a little better. Thanks you guys!

Well, DH is now wanting to buy siding and windows for the house. I am really resisting this. Not that we don't need them, I just don't want to do the work ourselves. I know we can do it, we've done this kind of stuff before (not together, but on other houses in other times of our lives). I want to have it done by a regular contractor. I know it will cost a lot more, but it will be so much quicker, plus so much easier. I know if we do it ourselves, it will take all summer and we will be in constant turmoil. He's all for it, so we'll see what happens here. He also wants to put metal roofing on the garage. That is something he did last year on his dad's house, so he know's what he's getting into there. I don't want to have to get on the roof and help with that either.
I am feeling kind of cranky this morning, just thinking about all of that. Oh, and he wants to use a color on that is not what I want either. :p

I am losing some weight, my pants are bigger. I'm not going to post the amount, I've gained and lost this same weight so many times in the past year, it's embarrassing. But at least this woe is working for me. I am still enjoying not cooking supper.

Lynn, hope your computer problem is ok today. Sugar, how's your DH doing today? Aleka and Anne, hi :wave:
Has anyone seen or planning to see Mel Gibson's new movie? I want to go, but can't stand in line for very long, so will wait till it's been out for awhile. I know it's controversial, but so many people talk about how powerful it is. I can't wait to see it.

Talk to you all later, Nikki

Hi everyone,

The new icons are fantastic. Like Nikki, this is me too! :coffee:

The sun is shining but it's gotten more seasonable, in the 30's. They say we may see some snow flurries tomorrow :( Yesterday it was very foggy and more snow has melted. I have noticed water lying ontop of the ice on the lake. It shouldn't be very much longer before they have to remove the ice fishing shacks out on the ice.

DH & I have a lot going on in our lives right now. We have decided to close our machine shop because we haven't had any work since Dec. It was very slow last year, but we've had nothing so far this year. Because of extremely high taxes on waterfront property, we are in the process of selling our cottage on the lake. :( When that sells we've decided to put our house on the market and relocate to FL and start over again. The cold this winter has been very difficult on the both of us. We figured since we have to start over we will do it in a warmer climate. We're planning on going to FL in April to visit my IL's and scout around for either a house or condo. I am dreading cleaning the house and cottage out because there is a lot of stuff. We plan on moving with the bare essentials.

nikki, glad that you're losing again. I'm not weighing myself because I tend to let the scale run my life. I am going by how my clothes feel, and they do feel a lot looser on me too. I've also been doing the Torso Trak faithfully and I am noticing a difference in my mid section. A few months after we moved into the house we're living in now we had new siding and windows put in. We hired two brothers who took the business over from their Dad. They did a fantastic job, but it really took them a long time to do it. Maybe if you get quotes from a few people to see what their best price would be. Sometimes you can get good deals. My girlfriend saw The Passion of Christ with her DIL. As a matter of fact she is going to see it again with someone from either her church or work, I forget what she told me. It is so graphic and violent that I just cannot watch it.

ANNE, are you still Somersizing? On a whim I went into SS website this morning and there are a few posters who haven't been losing weight, or are losing awfully slow. They decided to eat the SS way and count calories. That started them losing. I know you've mentioned you're in a stall and maybe if you do both you can jump start your weight loss.

Hi lynn and sugar, hope you both are enjoying your weekend.

Aleka

Hi Everyone:My computer is better. I had to go though the settings to get it back. I still don't have the right size (to small) but after going though Windows help and trying to figure it all out I am to frustrated to do anymore. When one of the kids or my brother gets here they can have a look at it. I woke up at 3:30 and am still on it. I get so annoyed when things don't go perfect. I did learn a lot and have customized my screen in purple changed my screen saver and a lot of other things. We were sitting here yesterday afternoon and watched a great amount of ice come up the river. It is still frozen up from us and the noise it made as it hit anyway a lot more came and was pushed into the air. We lost one of the supports on the deck over the river but DH was able to retreive it, are watching the rest of the deck the lot beside us is lower and is half under water, so am now on water watch. I think we are going to have to tie ropes around a tree and hope the whole thing isn't washed away. Never a dull moment. Aleka I feel for you last year we broke up house. We are still in tranition. I have stuff at my DH & DS's and still had to be ruthless. My bedroom suite is set up in my DD's spare room and the drawers are loaded with family memento's. The sad part is we still don't know were or what we are going to do. I would love to go back to Mississauga my husband hates to even go down for appointments, He is looking forward to the summer at the trailer I'm not, he wants to go to Florida next winter I don't. So hopefully we can meet on common ground. Also I want a dog yesterday he wants to wait for a few months. Dh just came in and said the water is the boathouse so I am hoping it stays cold for a bit so the ice melts gradually. Nikki we are painting the inside of the cottage and the deck next month and I dread the upheavel it will cause. Also how do you insert the icons? Have you noticed I don't use them? Anne hope your weekend is going well, Sugar how is DH? Talk to you later

HI again,
Aleka, I am so sorry to hear that. I know this will be a big change. Sometimes, when you think something is not what you want, it turns out to be the best thing that could have ever happened. I sure hope that is the case for you and your DH. Will he open a new shop in Florida? Where in Florida will you move? I've wanted to move there for so long. The Dr that I saw last time said that if I can stand the summers in Iowa, I could handle it in Florida (she goes there alot I guess). All I know is, the winter would be so much better.

Lynn, for the icons, just move your pointer on to the one you want and click. It will be placed on your note where ever you last typed or where you last clicked the pointed on the note. If you click on more, a new window opens and you will find many more icons (click on the maximize box for it to open completely). I'm glad your finding out new things about your computer. It is not the most fun thing, but it's important to learn.
I was raised on the river. Every spring it would flood and we'd have to move to higher ground, I know what your talking about when you say flood watch. It would carry away so many things, we were lucky, it never destroyed the cabin, but the flood of '93 took the whole thing, including the land there. Sounds like you are not too sure about where you will end up. Florida would be a huge change from Canada. Wouldn't that be odd if you and Aleka ended up neighbors? I would have to come and visit :lol: :lol:
I want to get a new dog myself, now that Boots has gone to the farm. DH is not wild about the idea. Guess we'll see.

Later, Nikki

Hello again,

nikki, we're thinking of moving to Ft Myers, FL. That's where my IL's go for the winter and DH & I really like the area. No, we won't be opening another machine shop. Both of us will have to find jobs once we get settled in. DH said he wouldn't mind working in a automotive store and I'd like a job in some sort of gift shop or boutique that closes at a reasonable hour. I was telling the girl who does my hair that we're planning on moving there. She was telling me that her DH had to go to Tampa for some sort of schooling and someone there told him that the best place to be in FL for the summer is someplace close to the ocean because inland is unbearable.

lynn, I just wanted to add to nikki's explaination on how to get the icons. In your post, you will not see the icons themselves until you actually submit your post, then you will see the actual icons. All that you will see are the symbols and words that make up the icon.

Aleka

Hi Again :coffee: I have always used the quick post Now I know to just post. Fort Myers is nice. I have also been told that the gulf side is the side to be on. Canadians who go to Florida say we shouldn't buy. With the cut backs in health care for our older senior sthey have to pick up private insurance. If they have any serious conditions and what older senior doesn't it is very costly. Apparently the market is loaded with places that can't be sold and you can often rent in Canadian dollars. My DH is very social and is on the go all summer season ( 5 months), we are allways going to barbeques etc. having theme dinners that when we close for the season I enjoy my own company. Also I hate heat if it is hot in summer and there is no breeze off the lake I have to sit inside with the air. I just don't think I could take the social life my husband would get involved in 12 months a year. I'm trying to get him to go and visit friends for a week or 2 in Florida now. Well must go check the water, talk to you soon

Happy Sunday, ladies,

Nikkic, you have a real problem on your hands with the house projects! Good luck. If DH and I ever tackled something that big...either the siding or the roof...**** would freeze over before we could get finished. :devil: Ain't no way, baby.

It is sunny and cold with a gale wind blowing here today. Yesterday was great and I worked out in the yard all afternoon. DH is feeling like he got hit with a freight train :( :rolleyes: so no help out of him. He did suggest an early diner at a new Mexican place that just opened up here. I jumped on it but knew it would blow that pound I was boasting about Friday. Yep! Sure enough this morning I was exactly one pound up again, which wipes out all of last week. Darn. :rolleyes: Why am I such a sucker for just one meal that I don't have to cook. Three chicken enchiladas simply beckoned and down the garden path I went. :yes: I jumped right back on the points today though. I know I am eating too many to lose quickly...probably 27 or 28...but I am going to give it a try at this level because I just am not a good starver. :hun:

I would love to see that movie. I want to REALLY REALLY bad. :love: It will have to come here though and it might take a while before that happens. That way we can leave the girls at home while we go. It's awful to let them run our lives this way, but they are worth it.

Aleka, a cottage on the lake sounds so romantic. One June DH and I went to some football meetings on Cape Cod. I took a day trip over to Nantucket and totally lost my heart to those little gray cottages. If I ever owned one, I don't know if I could ever let it go! I know eastern winters are killers though. Florida certainly would take care of that problem.

Lynn, do you live right on the water too? I've always thought it would be so great, but sounds like it also has its darker side! I'm sorry you are faced with such indecision about where to live. That can be so traumatic. My son lives across the street from us and is the technology director for our school district...luckily for me because when computer problems come up, I can do far more harm than good in a matter of seconds. As for the icons, maybe I need some help as well. I have always :joker: (ha ha...the two weeks I have been here!) quick posted and then edited to add smileys. If you use the post reply instead, is that how you can do it all at once? I love them. They are so cool.

It would be amazing if you two ended up in the same town in Florida. I don't think I could ever live there. For 16 years, because of DH's job, we had a ten-day "bonus" in Miami, right on the beach across from Bal Harbour from Dec. 28 to the end of the first week of January. It was very beautiful. All of the Orange Bowl parties and such, great area, everyone in our little town would have loved to have gone. We had fun, but the weather was so humid most of the time and usually quite warm or else bitterly cold and everyone was in a state about the freezing of the fruit. Several years we drove and went all over Florida before coming home. It is a neat place to see but I just can't do that humidity well. Don't think I could ever live there year around. I love the cold. DH, on the other hand, is starting to hurt really badly in the deep of winter but he too loves the snow and I don't think would ever want to leave here. He and all his family were born here for several generations. Those roots are hard to sever. Here in Missouri we have all four seasons. In the spring, I work feverishly getting things all in order in our yard because once that humidity strikes, the siren call of the air conditioner is even stronger than that of those chicken enchiladas! :eek:

Let's hope this will be a "losing" week for all of us. :goodluck:

Sugardrop

Lynn-I am not a socializer and neither is DH. We spent too many years dealing with people in our work and in public. Home has always been our refuge from the world.

Sugardrop-your right, use the post reply button under the last post, then you can use the icons instantly.
My DH is originally from southern Missouri too as is most of his family. Salem, which is by Rolla. We go down there a few times a year. It is really different than where we live here in Iowa. Lots of hills, trees and so beautiful.
We have many mexican restaurants around here now. The food is so delicious, it's my biggest downfall too. DH is always wanting to go out to eat and that is what does my diet in.
I do the same thing as far as yard work goes. I try to work as fast as I can in the spring, because when the humidity starts to wrap around my body like a blanket, I head for the ac and admire my gardens from the windows :cool:
Nikki

Hello everyone, :coffee:

We're back to more normal temps today and they say we may get some snow flurries out of that storm along the east coast. The last I heard NYC was going to get the brunt of the storm.

lynn, that would be neat if we happened to be in or near the same town in FL and we could possibly meet. The Gulf Coast of FL is all I know. My late aunt lived in Venice, which is near Sarasota. I used to visit her quite often. DH & I aren't that sociable either. We do things and go places with other people, but prefer to be by ourselves.
Heat in the summer really doesn't bother me that much, cold bothers me more. How is the water situation? You sound like all of you are having quite a time with your deck. Hope the water receded a bit.

sugar, Cape Cod is really beautiful. I have never been to Nantucket, but we did get Lacee in Martha's Vineyard. We figured that even if we decided not to get her...ya, right,....we'd treat it as an adventure. As it turned out we went over twice. The first time we saw her, we could've brought her home, but from different comments the breeder made, we felt she wasn't ready to be parted from her mother. She was an only "child". The weekend we went to get her we stayed at a B & B. It was such a nice trip. The cottage on the lake is one that I inherited from my Mom & Dad. I've been summering there since 1957-58. There are 3 cottages on the lot, and two of my cousins own the other two. Mexican food is my downfall too, and thankfully we have to travel a good distance to get to our favorite restaurant.

nikki, we went out to eat Fri. night. DH loves fish, and this one local restaurant was having a fish-fry with seconds on them. I had chicken cordon-bleu, the only bad thing it's in a puff pastry, which I love. Then I had mashed potatoes, which I haven't had in a very long time. They were heavenly. :T I feel that you can't be good all the time, but that's probably why I keep gaining and losing the same lb. :o

ANNE, hope you have a good day at work today. Are things still very busy?

Have a great day everyone.
Aleka

Hi Everyone:
Hope you all had a great weekend. We got another light dusting of snow
yesterday :(
I am at work getting ready to start another hetic week. I don't anticipate
things are going to improve here either. So far the worst part of this job
is dealing with patient valuables. I hate it. I have to factor in I have worked
30 years with this organization and I have about 5 more to go until I
can leave with full pension. I will still be young enough in five years to get
another job because I will be only 52, so what do you do when you live in
a shoe, tie it up or kick it off :lol:

Talking about not being a socializer Lynn, I am the worst person you ever met
in this regard. I never go to the office functions, Christmas parties etc.
People don't like it either :o I figure you can't please everyone so you might
as well please yourself ;)

Nikki, my son saw Passion of The Christ last week. Another one of my sons
will be seeing it with his class during Holy Week.

Aleka, I am still low carbing something between Atkins and Suzanne. I think
my biggest pit falls are nuts and not gazelling. Still, although I would like to
be thinner, I am thrilled at the way I have managed to keep the pounds down.
I figure for sure I have helped my health in a big way or at least I hope so : Talk to you later.
Anne.

Hi,:coffee:
Another beauty of a day out there. It is less windy now, hope it stays that way. Sugar, did you guys get a lot of wind down your way? It was in the 40 to 50 mph range here yesterday and that made it feel a lot colder than it really was.
DH is now off for 2 nights, so he wants to go to the lumberyard (Menards) and look at siding, windows and roofing. Oh joy:rolleyes: We never get along when we do projects together. We are both perfectionists and each wants to be the boss. He has a few brothers that should come over and help, but one never helps (big baby of the family at 37) and the other is building a garage this spring. DH will have to go help with that, but it shouldn't take too long. That brother can do anything, but he also has a family and his wife's family keeps him busy, working on their stuff, so we never ask him to help us.
We really need windows badly. The ones we have are so old, there are holes in the walls around them. I replaced the sills years ago, but now, those have rottened out. The siding is that old asphalt kind that breaks real easy and there is no insulation in the walls. We've put this off for years, we weren't sure we would stay here. After 15 years (procastination is our middle names), we decided we were staying and then couldn't decided if we wanted to tear it down or remodel. After my accident, we realized we couldn't do either for awhile. Now we can just barely afford to remodel a few things. Thank God, we didn't buy a new home for this place, we would have lost it when I lost my job.
Anne, glad to hear from you, hope your week isn't too bad. I never liked dealing with the public. People are so rude and hateful anymore. It's so hard to be nice to someone with an attitude. Especially when they think they are better than you are, made me so frustrated.
Aleka, I can't imagine what this must feel like for you, to have to sell everything, but especially your cottage. That must be really rough. Hopefully, you will find something in FLA that is really super and will help some.
I love mashed potatoes, I could eat them 24/7. That's one of my biggest downfalls, along with corn on the cob, oh baby :hun: :eating2:
Well, DH is going to be home any minute. Better run, Nikki

Hi Everyone: How did all the potato lovers find this site!!! They are my downfall. I was going to ask if somebody could recommend a chain Mexican restaurant that might be up here but I'm afraid that the way you all love Mexican it might be my next obsession. My Dh and I can't work together at all, I have no patience and drive him crazy within minutes LOL My Dh just came in from the river front and was interviewed by the local TV station. Apparently he was up river and saw a lot of ice movind down river and wanted to see how far up river it was going. While he stood there the water went from just under the deck to covering the deck. He also said the Ministery of the Enviroment said this was going on for the next 4 days. This could get very interesting!!!!!! I guess the plans of changing the boat house into a bunkie are on hold probabley for ever. The floor was just poured laast fall. under water as we speak. The river levels have fallen so much in recent years because of the falling water levels that no boats can get this far up the river. Oh well good storage if shelves are built. Well hope you all are having a great day. Aleka maybe we will meet in Florida some day soon. Sugar hope your DH id having a better day. Hi Anne!!!!

Hi ladies,

I just came in from a couple of rounds of yard work again today! I am chipping away at a seemingly endless list!!! I keep adding things on the rear end so I might never get finished. DH is accusing me of doing all this ("working myself to death," he says) just because of the wedding outside in May. He prefers if I devote myself entirely to his own personal comfort. I know he doesn't feel too great yet so he is getting his share of special treatment to be sure...just less than he would like (24/7). The wind is blowing pretty badly again today, Aleka. Yesterday I couldn't do much for very long because the wind was bitter although the sky was deceptively sunny and bright. It is warmer today...about 57...but still the wind blowing.

Lynn, I can't recommend any chain Mexican places. We only have two little chain drive-in in our village...McDonalds and Sonic on the highway. Our new little Mexican restaurant is actually started and run by three real Mexicans. They are so much fun to watch. Did I mention how they were high-stepping off the parking lines the other day? When we went down there, we discovered that the slots are exactly the width of a car...door handle to door handle! They plan ahead so well. If all were full, no one could get out or in!!!

How great to have a puppy from Martha's Vinyard. That would make her even more special to me. Mr. Mills had a neat beginning because he was a Valentine's gift (the only one DH ever gave me) when he was 5 weeks old. He arrived in his pocket but had to go back to his momma for more nursing. I was so thrilled that I told him he didn't ever have to give me another Valentine's present because Wilbur would be the gift that kept on giving. Unfortunately he believed me and has taken me at my word!!!!! It was worth it though.

We must be a group of recluses. DH and I enjoy each other's company more than anyone else's as well. Most of our time is just the two of us. Maybe that's why we love the girls and our yard so much.

I saw Suzanne on the Today Show this morning. Did any of you? I wonder about her new book. I don't know where I would fine any natural products to substitute for my Premarin here in this town, but it does sound interesting. What do you think? Would you try that? Are any of you going to get the book? I wonder if there is much in it besides the natural products theme...like much reference to her diet? I sure do miss just eating that way! I think my perfect choice for life would be yours, Anne...a combo of Atkins and SSing. I don't know if I could lose an ounce on it though...but I sure could enjoy maintaining that way if I could just lose it on WW in a whipstitch!

Nikkic, I am counting my blessings that our only project will be staining our house and gazebo this spring. We would never make it through yours. Already this morning, DH is tart because the painter called to discuss timing and afterwards I mentioned caulking around the windows and painting the doors inside and out and being sure to cover the water garden and plants as it was going on.......etc. It met with disgust from DH. Oh my! "The hours," he says, "are piling up and he isn't even here yet!"

Off to watch Guiding Light, my daily rest period.

Sugardrop

Oops...forgot to use the post reply and don't have time for smiles, darn it!

Good Morning All:

I saw Suzanne last night on Larry King. She looks great! I don't think I
want to go the hormone route though. It is one of those things people have
to make their own choice about. I feel I am content to go along with Mother
Nature. I am in the process of perimenopause but I still do not suffer from
hot flashes or any major discomfort except for irregular cycles which drive
me nuts because I always think I'm expecting each time this happens :o

Nikki, what I dislike so much about patient valuables is the relatives coming
down. We are not allowed to give out any of the patients belongings without
signed permission from the patient themselves not even to their spouses.
People get furious with us!!!! When a patient has passed away its even
worse.

Lynn, I love fries. I only allow myself those once in awhile but man oh man
do I love those babies :dizzy: With lots of ketshup please :)

Sugardrop, my DH and I are almost constant "exclusive" companions :)
my parents were the same way as well. I do have a good friend at work
who minds our autistic son on Saturdays to give our family a little break.

Hi Aleka, hope all is going well with you.

Anne.

Hi!

It's amazing how we all are so much alike socially.

We had snow yesterday, more than the flurries they predicted, but not enough to plow. There were quite a lot of accidents on the roads in the morning. I was supposed to meet my girlfriend for lunch and some shopping, but on Sunday something came up on her end and we had to cancel. It's a good thing we did, because I wouldn't want to travel in that weather. She's leaving sometime today for a month of traveling and by the time she gets back DH & I will be on our way south. We won't see each other until May. :(

ANNE, I don't know how you can handle difficult people at times. I have no patience whatsoever. How do you handle the belongings when a patient dies?

Sugar, I saw Suzanne yesterday on the Today Show. I definitely would like to find out more about doing things naturally, but I know my health insurance would never cover testing like that, nor would they pay for whatever "cocktail" I'd need. I hope I heard right when Suzanne said that she gets a prescription for whatever she is taking. She is also going to be on The View either Wed.or Thurs. I am debating whether or not to buy the book. I did read on her website of someone seeing it at Sams Club. With this latest news about estrogen, I don't know whether or not to stay on it indefinitely or go off it. I do have hot flashes now on the dosage I take, but I don't know how they'll be once I go off Premarin. What a nice way to present a puppy. Wilbur must've been soooo tiny and sooo adorable. When we picked Lacee up, in was in Feb., not long after Valentines Day, and she fit inside my jacket. We were standing talking to the breeder and Lacee was shivering. He told me that she was probably cold. I put her inside my jacket and covered her up, she stopped shivering and promptly fell asleep. I was thrilled to death that she was so comfortable with me. She stayed inside my jacket most of the ride home. When Lacee is being "Lacee" we threaten to make her swim back to Martha's Vineyard :lol:
It doesn't work. :s: She knows they're empty threats.

lynn, I don't know any Mexican Rest. chain except Chi-Chi's. We always go to a local chain, Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse. I don't know if there are any of those outside of NH. There must be because I've seen it on Dottie's Weight Loss site with the point values for WW. That's great your DH was on TV. How is the water situation today? Has it gotten any better?

nikki, how did the lumber shopping go yesterday? DH & I are the same way too. When I do something he looks at it, then he does it over. :mad: After a few times of this I throw down whatever is in my hand, walk away and tell him to do it himself. He never learns. ;) If he would stop being so picky, he's have help. MEN!!!! :lol: It is rough knowing I have to sell the cottage, but I try not to think about it. I know that I can't see paying those kind of taxes on something that I only use for a few weeks. Actually, I only use the cottage when a cousin of mine comes up, the one I travel with. I live just up the street from the cottage, so I'm here anyway, plus I'm more comfortable at home. Oh, corn on the cob :T Luckily we only have it in the summer. I do manage to eat 1 or 2 ears during that time. What would summer be without local,fresh corn on the cob! ;)

Have a great day ladies.
Aleka

Goodmorning Ladies: My DH had his 15 min. of fame or I should say 30 seconds LOL. He was on the lead in story I guess the next 24 hours are critical the river is on a flood warning. Yes it is strange how similar we are in social ways. Now if the DH were like your husbands we would know were we woild want to live. We are so different sometimes I feel we have been married 3 years not 33 years LOL. Anne you know how all over the city there are the hot dog wagons? Well anyway in the Rice lake area they are chip wagons. There is one near Gore"s Landing that people come to from miles around. We have to pass by everytime we leave the trailer. Passing bye doesn't always happen. It is amazing how many times we are passing by around lunch time!!!!!! Hurry up summer!!!! I also saw Suzanne and you are right Aleka she does look FABULOUS. MY drug plan would never pay for that but when her book comes out up here I will check out her list of specialist's and see were they are located. I think I will talk to my dr. though, SS had a call in from a lady who had a hysterectomy and she was on some combination drugs and SS said her dr. had her on a good combo. I missed what it was but maybe that will be better for me than straight premarin. Sugar still warm enough to work outside? How is your mobility Nikki? Well we have a nice sunny day here though very cold. We are going to walk up river to see how bad it is, do some shopping, you all have a good day.

Hi,
I'm taking DD #1 to a Drs appointment this morning, it's out of town, so it will take most of the day. DH isn't too happy, he wanted to go to the lumberyard (he slept all day yesterday, so we never made it). My view is, I'd like to wait a year till we have some more money saved, then have a contractor do it all at once. After all the windows are replaced, we will have all new sheet rock put in and then, I will have the task of painting, wallpapering and putting down new carpet. I do all those things alone (except for the carpet, he will help with that). It will be nice to have it all done, but I can't imagine doing it all this year. Just makes me tired thinking about it. The first project is the new roof on the garage and hopefully, when we finish that, DH will be ready to go camping and forget remodeling.

Lynn, how's the water? Hope it has receded some. I know that it is a very worrisome thing. The only chain Mexican restaurants that we have are Taco Johns, I like that place on the run. But we have several real Mexican restaurants here now, run by people from Mexico. A few years ago, Iowa decided to allow 100,000 Mexicans residence to fill job openings in places like fast food joints and lower paying jobs that were vacant. Of course, this was a disaster, there weren't that many jobs vacant. Many places let go of workers that had been there for years and replaced them with the immigrants for much lower wages (meat packing jobs especially). You can imagine how some people feel about that. The larger cities are seeing a big increase in gang violence too. In the smaller cities, we get great Mexican restaurants to eat at and haven't had the problems that the larger towns have. It was one of those government programs that wasn't well thought out, funded or implemented.

Sugar, I thought Mr. Wilbur Mills was a cat? I rarely get valentines presents either, even though that is our anniversary too. Anymore, I just buy myself whatever I want (with in reason of course :D ). DH has never been a gift giver and when he did give me something, it was never something I really wanted. The first time I had a birthday when we were dating, he gave me a leaf blower. That told me right there I was dealing with a real romantic guy.
That was real funny about the lines in the parking lot. Our Mexican restaurant was built inside by the people that run it too. They did a great job, except for building the booths. The seats are way far away from the table top and the table tops are too high. You have to sit on the edge of your seat to eat. I think they thought Americans are all huge people.
I have not seen Suzanne. I quit watching HSN awhile ago, I spent too much money there and will have to pay for it for years (credit card debt, ouch!). I missed seeing her on the Today show too. I have hot flashes so bad, I could heat the house when it's -10 outside. At least it feels like that to me. I still have my period and it's still regular :censored: I'm 46 now, so I have years to look forward to this, I"m afraid. I don't think I'll buy this book. So far, all I'm doing is trying to eat more soy.

Anne, dealing with angery people is very difficult, especially when your expected to smile and be nice back. I hate doing that. Will you retire in 5 years then?

Aleka, You and your DH sound like me and mine. We get into so many disagreements when we work together. Many tools have been thrown around here and some are still lost out in the field. :lol: At least, we get along most of the time. The thought of working on all these projects together is making my stomach turn over. I know how hard it's going to be.

I better get a shower, have a good day ladies, Nikki

Lynn, I was writing when you were posting. I'm doing better than I have since this whole thing started. I can walk down the stairs much better, and that is a major thing. Before I could only take one step at a time, now I can almost walk like anyone else.

Wow, that would really be tough, Anne, to have an autistic son! You must be one of the truly good people in the world that God would trust you with such a child. :angel: I know it cannot be easy. I admire you so very much and the patience you must have deleloped! :cheer: It's good that you and your DH can get away once a week at least for a little "date" time. Fifteen years ago, we had twin grandsons born just under two pounds each. They were in intensive care neonatal for about 5 months, faced surgery, etc., and when they came home had to have round the clock nurses for several more months. (They are great now. Completely normal and naughty as the dickens!!!)I mention this because I remember that one of the doctors told the our son and his wife that they must block out a couple of hours a week for just themselves and leave the house completely. Not to let anything interfere with it. He said it is the only way that they would be able to cope with the constant demands. Well, not the ONLY way, but it surely would safeguard their marriage if they had this little bit of time alone to look forward to. They had one daughter four years old besides the twins, but Tony and Tyler needed so very much care with the oxygen tethers and all. Everyone in the house had to be trained in infant CPR. Scary stuff. :fr:

Lynn, I didn't catch what drug that woman was on either. I couldn't fathom coming up with $65 out of my pocket every month for SS drug coctail; DH would have a heart attack if I approached that thought! :rolleyes: But it does sound interesting. It is gives me pause to think that I have been taking Premarin for 20 years, even though my GYN swears it is okay for my particular case. He is, after all, A MAN!!! :yikes: I think I will look at Sam's for her book. How does it feel to be married to a TV star??? Hope the water is receding.

Aleka, we used to have a couple of ChiChi's in Kansas City that we could go to when we were up there. When DH's Big 8 office was downtown there we had to be up there once a week. Any of them were favorite spots with us. They all left KC though a couple of years ago. :cry:

Nikkic, Mr. Wilbur Mills was a cat...a Siamese. I just threw that comment about his origin into a paragraph where I was commenting on Aleka's baby puppy coming from Martha's Vinyard! It was too much of a jumble. Sorry. :dizzy: Mr. Wilbur Mills was so young and tiny that he was snow white when he came for that introduction. Two weeks later when he arrived to stay, he had turned cream with his black markings like a regular Siamese. He was so tiny that he used to get into DH's shoe along with a large spool of thread and fall down headfirst into the toe of it, unable to extricate himself. We would have to retrieve him and dust him off. He was always insulted because we were laughing so hard at him. :lol3:

I am so glad your leg is better, Nikkic. You will need all your energy and body skills to embark on the house project. When the painter came here yesterday, DH sort of pulled in his horns a little and asked me if I had any instructions for him...... :p We try to be discreet with our differing opinions before a workman! He seems like such a delightful young man, very quiet and capable looking. I hated to voice my requests too pointedly on our first meeting but did show him where he would be using his ladder on the side of the house by the gazebo...right in the middle of a huge huge area of perrenials that are now starting to pop up and that I really do not want all mashed down before the big day. Why didn't we do this last fall when we first talked about it????????? Fooey!!! :mad:

Must trot off now to get lunch. It was great to hear all your reports this morning. :grouphug:

Wow Sugar what a nice thing to say to Anne!!!!!! Yes the reports were all very newsy today. I do look forward to my morning read. Well we have some strange immigration laws to Nikki and I have to comment. It is almost impossible for people to immigrate to Canada from Britian. Yep from third world countries a breeze. Now not only are we paying for medical we are paying for them to live while being retained to get jobs. Now I wish everyone success starting out but we are a country of less than 30 million people and since the break-up of the old Soviet Union the largest in square miles. You are next in land size and look at your population!!! We are taxed to the max. are almost the first to send troops for peace keeping missions but I'm sorry we can only stretch the resources of this great country so far. I worry about the future for my grandchildren. They are major cuts in funding in the 2 most important areas of our society, education and health care. Well I've had my say and if I have offended anyone I apolige in advance. The water has started to break apart the deck still rising quite fast, very upsetting. Later

Sugar, Siamese cats are my favorite. If I can get another cat (not just another stray), I want another siamese. I've had 3 in my life and they are the best.

Lynn, don't worry, you haven't offended me. I know in this day and age, it's almost impossible to have an opinion without offending someone. I can barely speak about politics, it's so aggrevating to me. I don't like the way things are going here either and the amount of money we spend on taxes is so much, I don't understand that either. We are getting less, but being taxed more. They keep on dreaming up new taxes too. It is distressing to think about what will happen, as far as the next generation and generations on goes.
I sure hope that water starts to recede, I know this is a very stressful time for you.

Take care, Nikki

lynn, you haven't offended me either. Too many things have to be politically correct today. Things in our country aren't all that fantastic. I'm praying things will change in Nov. and I think a lot of people feel this way. I only hope they all will vote.

Aleka

Good Morning All:
Sugar, thank you for your kind words. It has been tough. David is Autistic,
non verbal and severely mentally ******ed. He is also prone to insomnia and
takes temper tantrums that would raise anyones hair. (We have had several
holes put through the wall and our shower tiles are smashed to bits) It has
been hard on Davids twin brother Sean too. To think David should have been
his perfect companion. That was one really frightening story about your
grandsons. I am glad to hear they are both doing well now.

Aleka, when one of the patients die and a family member comes down to
collect the valuables they must provide us with documention that they have
power of attorney. They are often not impressed and a scene often ensues.
Like I said I hate this valuables job. :(

Yep Lynn, many of our laws disgust me and my DH. It makes me sick :p
you just picked one of my pet peves, immigration policy. Another doosie is
the Young offenders act.

Hi Nikki, hows your leg been doing?

Anne.

Good morning,
So glad I didn't offend anyone by what I said either and if I did, I do apologize. More :coffee: for me, less politics today.

Anne, I am walking better. I am in some pain, but nothing like I was. I think what I have now is just arthritis pain. I want to use the gazelle, but I will wait a week until I"m sure I'm all healed up. I tried to use it the other day and it was painful. Not sure if it was stiffness from arthritis or that my bones were not fully healed, so thought it would be a good idea to wait and make sure. I'm not saying arthritis is easy, but it's not the same thing as what I was experiencing before and I'm very happy about that.

Aleka, I can't agree with you more about the change that I'm hoping for in Nov. I was for Edwards, but I'm happy with Kerry too. I think who ever gets in there is going to have a lot to deal with. OOPS, more :coffee: less politics got to get another cup. :lol:

Well, it's another beautiful day so far. It's been too windy and cold to do anything outside and the yard is still so wet, you can't really walk in the grass yet. I'm so glad to see it wet after so many years of not having enough water. Every morning, the birds are singing louder. Many of the bulbs I planted last year are now peeking out of the ground. Soon as the garden is dry enough, I'm going to get DH in gear and get it tilled. He usually procrastinates, but this year, I'm building a fire under his behind and making him get it done early. I'd do it myself, but we rent a tiller and he has to go get it since I can't drive his truck (it's a stick and I haven't driven one for years). It's the only thing he does do in the garden, he's not a gardener.

Lynn, hope your water has gone down and that things are better today. You've sure had a hard time recently. Keep your chin up, things will turn around.

Take care, Nikki

While looking around the web, I found this site. It is packed with recipes. They are not low carb, but there are some that would work in a low carb plan

http://www.nikibone.com/recipe/

Hello....

It is a beautiful day out, a good afternoon to go for a walk. Which I plan to do after lunch. Yesterday we had on and off light snow that only left a dusting. That storm that is supposed to eat the east coast tomorrow looks like it will stay well south of us....at least that's what they say. ;)

DH & I just got back from grocery shopping :eek: I spent quite a bit this week.

nikki, you didn't offend me, we both think alike in the upcoming election. Glad that you're walking better. Maybe you should take some time to strengthen your ankle before you tackle the gazelle. Did they give you any exercise to strengthen it? You're so lucky to start seeing your bulbs starting to peek through the ground. Our's are still buried in snow. We also have birds singing in the morning again and it's a wonderful sound. :love:

ANNE, you really do have to put up a lot with your job. It's too bad :devil: has to add even more stress for you. You must have a lot of patience dealing with people.

Sugar, what an awful thing to happen to your twin grandsons. It must have been very hard on you and your family. Thankfully they are normal boys now.

lynn, I missed Suzanne on The View. I thought she was on there Thurs. I did see her on the Today Show, but her interview w/Ann Curry wasn't very informative. I went on Suzanne's website this morning and someone had posted that the book was very good and had a lot of good information in it. I think the next time I'm at Sam's or BJ's, I'll pick it up. I can't see spending $65.00 a month on a "cocktail". I know my insurance would never cover any of it. I asked my Dr. if there was something more natural for me to take and she said "No" I'm hoping with all the new stuff coming out, hopefully she'll give me a different answer this time.

Have a wonderful afternoon.
Aleka

Hi Everyone: SS wasn't on The View today that I saw. Ther is no way I will pay $65 for a cocktail but it has started me thinking that I have to start getting my DR. to start experimenting with differant combo's to improve my symtom"s. This sleeping thing is driving me crazy. I slept 2 1/2 hours last night now today I am to tired to do anything. I don't dare go to sleep because as you know I will sleep even less tonight. Aleka if your Dr. has any suggestions please share and the next time I go to Dr. if mine has a suggestion I will share. I kind of hope my Dr. is on holidays, her partner is a 50 plus female , I bet she follows the lastest in JAMA. A gorgeous day here, the water is still rising. There is at least a foot and a half in the boathouse. DH's tool box was in there so told the kids they have 5 years at least of gift ideas for him. Well must go. Talk to you soon

Good morning everyone :coffee:

I am having a cup of decaf this morning just to try it out, and I still feel as though I've just woken up. I am going to try having eggs with no toast this morning for breakfast and see if the :p feeling I get is due to regular coffee.
I bought this week's edition to Woman's World magazine and there is an egg diet in it. I don't know if I could do it because you do eat a lot of eggs, but some of the recipes look interesting. In the article it gives you ways to incorporate this diet if you're doing Atkins, South Beach, & WW.

lynn, I went into SS website last week and thought it said Suzanne was going to be on The View March 11th, but I saw somewhere else that she was on the 9th. I'm kind of hoping that Suzanne's book will give me some ideas as to what to ask my Dr. when I see her. When I read somewhere what Premarin is made of, it freaked me out a bit, but it controls my symptoms and that outweighed however I might feel about it. ;) How is your water situation? Sorry your DH has lost his tools. I hope you haven't lost anything else.

nikki, I bookmarked the recipe site you posted. There are some wonderful recipes there. Thank you. Did your weather stay nice yesterday? Right after lunch the clouds rolled in and it seemed colder, so didn't go for a walk. :( Guess I should've done it after I unloaded the groceries. The sun is out again this morning so maybe today I'll get to it.

ANNE, how was work yesterday? Hope you were able to have a good day.

sugar, how did your weigh in go the other day?

Have a wonderful day everyone.
Aleka

Goodmorning All: I too bookmarked the site Nikki, you can never have to many recipe sites Right!!!!! DH is putting on chest waders to go into the boat house. I think he is nuts, the waders are not insulated. This is the man who has had a "cold" for 3 weeks that he can't shake. Wants to get his tools. proving once again "no fool like a old fool". When he gets stupid I tell DD and she lets him have it, she gets away with it, if I said anything Im nagging.Well off to watch the show (DH in boathouse) there is now a foot and a half of water in there if he trips on something that isn't floating it's in the cold drink he goes. Back later

Anne: Just heard that SS is now cityline's 3000th show tomorrow. I get it at 9 in morning on CKVR Barrie but could be on city in Toronto. Thought you might want to tape it. The only annoying thing is that everytime she is on Cityline Allen comes out and takes over!!!!!

Good morning,
It is really windy here today and is suppose to rain later. They said we are getting a late season artic blast, but it should improve by tomorrow. My diet is still going good. This is the first time I've been able to stick to my guns and not over eat or just go nuts with a box of Krispy Kremes in a long time. The weight is coming off and I haven't really started to exercise yet. I'm still waiting for that Slim in 6 program to get here. That's going to be my official start of exercising again.

Lynn, when you said he did something stupid, I had to laugh. My DH will do stuff like that too. Makes no sense and if I try to explain it too him, he says I'm nagging him. That makes me so mad, I could just scream, because I don't see it as nagging, I think of it as just trying to explain something. Like how to do something easier, or follow the directions on something we are building together. Or, as in your DH's case, don't do something that will make you sicker or you could get hurt doing. Men don't think ahead very well, that's for sure. :rolleyes:

Aleka, I'll have to look at that WW. I almost bought it last night. I love eggs, and I"ve been seriously considering getting some chickens to have my own eggs. They are getting so expensive anymore. DH is not thrilled about a chicken coop. I think it would be fun.

Hi :wave: Anne and Sugar, hope your days are going well. Don't work too hard either of you!

Take care, Nikki

Hi Again: Well I hot footed down for the show and when he halled out his chest waders he must have put them away with water in them that now was ice!!!!!!! God I laughed. They are now in the bath tub drying out. It was a good thing I went down, don't you think it would be a good idea to cut the power to the boathouse? Anyway the huge ice and debris flow blocking the river 4 lots up broke away this afternoon and within 20 min. the water level had gone down 6', 1 hr. later another 5' so we are out of the woods I think!!!!! the bad news it is now pouring rain oh well. Picked up WW and read the egg diet sounds interesting. I'm doing well on cal. right now but a change is a good thing and am thinking of making a change. I love eggs!!!!!! My DD is coming for the weekend which makes us both very happy. Well hope all are having a great day

Oh, nag, nag, nag Lynn. Turning off the power, that's for girls and sissies. :lol: :lol3: :rofl:

:dancer: :dance: :flow2: :cb: That's great that the water is now going down. What a relief for you, I'm sure.
Hey when you said your doing well on cal. do you mean low calorie? I'm getting confused as to what everyone's eating plans are. I couldn't find that WW at Walmart today. They are always dreaming up a new diet it seems.
Nikki

Yeah Nikki Low-cal no starch, no sugar decaff coffee a combination diet. when you have a moment explain yours to me.

Lynn (and everybody),
I'm just trying to eat low calorie and for me right now, that's 1800 calories. I also am avoiding sugar, trying to choose lower fat things (sometimes, just to save calories). I'm eating low carb stuff too, like a low carb bread that I like. But I'm not paying attention to carbs like I was anymore. So far, I've lost 6 lbs since the 1st. Now don't eveybody get all excited about this, cause I"ve gained and lost these same pounds so many times, it's embarrassing. I realized that for me, there were 2 problems. I was eating too much (too many calories) and I was constantly feeling deprived. Also, frustrated, trying to substitute something for something else and it wasn't working for me anymore. Then guilt over eating a bad food or a food that was off plan. Heavens, it was getting old. I decided to make nothing off limits, but just to eat 1800 calories a day. That includes eating a Krispy Kreme if I want. A few days ago, DD and I went to Taco Johns and I ate 2 crispy tacos (360 calories) and it was enough. The thing is, I'm making better choices now. Before, I was always feeling like I wasn't eating what I wanted. Now I never feel deprived. I'm still eating those frozen dinners for lunch and supper, just because they are easy and portion control is something I need to relearn. If I have a meal with leftovers on the counter, I'm more likely to have seconds. Someday, I'll start cooking again, and it will be easier for me to look at a plate of food and say this amount is the right amount and I don't need more. I try to divide my calories throughout the day and eat 6 small meals a day. I always feel comfortable, not stuffed and not starving. When I quit losing weight, I'll drop my calories 100 at a time until I start to lose again.

Hello everyone,

Woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Yesterday the weatherpeople kept telling us that we were to wake up with snow on the ground, we we could expect to have 2"-4" or 3"-5"...whoever you listened to...by the storm's end. Well..NO SNOW!!!! Now they're saying we may see flurries to a dusting this afternoon. :cb:

nikki, that's wonderful you've lost weight, I'm still going to congratulate you. ;) :bravo: What you are doing is really the sensible thing to do. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about eating something that was forbidden in the past. I bought a few bananas last week, and I felt guilty eating them. But, boy, did they taste good. I have been into some anti-dieting sites and the ladies there eat what they want whenever they are hungry, then stop when they're satisfied, not overly full. They all say that once they get in that mind set to not feel guilty about eating certain foods, they are happy with less, and they can walk away from any food they don't want, even desserts. I am trying to get in that mind set. Weight Watchers is like what you're doing, only you count points instead of calories. Keep up the good work!

lynn, got a good belly laugh out of you turning off the power to the boathouse. Now, that is something to hold over your DH's head. :lol: :rofl: :lol3: I usually store little things like that somewhere in my brain and bring them out at an opportune (sp?) time. ;) Glad the water has started to recede. Did the rain you were having make the water rise again? Hope everything will be back to normal soon.

Hi ANNE, sugar :wave:

Have a great day.
Aleka

Good morning to you all,
Thanks Aleka for the bravo. I think I've found the way for me. It really is like you described with those other ladies. I'm not feeling tempted by anything, because nothing is forbidden. You know, when you can't have a cookie, you deny yourself until you eat a whole bag and then feel like a loser and fall off the wagon for a day or a week. Anyway, that was what was happening to me. I'm losing around a pound a day since the beginning of the week. I'm not even exercising yet. I know your suppose to only lose 2 lbs a week, but I figure some of this is water weight and since I'm really over weight anyway, it's ok. The other thing that I am surprised about is, my period is going to start any minute and I usually gain 5 lbs of water with that. But every morning, I'm losing weight instead. I'm also drinking real coffee :coffee: again, and actually drinking more of it during the day than I ever have before. Like we talked about before, it makes me feel fuller. But, I"m also drinking lots of water too, so I seem to be in the toilet more than anywhere these days. I was thinking of putting a small tv in there and calling it the lounge :lol:

Yesterday, I bought a 5 gallon fish tank and a pair of Beta fish. Stripe thought this was the best idea I'd had since canned cat food. He spent most of the night watching them and this morning, the lady fish seems to be missing. I know that the male fish didn't kill her, because there are no odd body parts laying around the tank. Mr. Stripe just keeps on watching the show and ignoring me when I ask what happened. :chin:

Aleka, glad to hear you avoided the snow, we are in for some improvement here today ourselves. Spring time does a lot to improve a persons mood.

My ankle is so stiff this morning. Yesterday, I went shopping for a few hours and this is the result. I have to eventually go back to work, so I'm kind of wondering if I will ever be able to stand on it for 8 or 16 hours again. There are so few jobs around here anymore and the VA that I use to work at is in the process of closing (by 2006). DH will be just able to retire on an early buy out at that time. I will have to try to get a job at a nursing home and get one before everyone that works at the VA is looking for a new job. There will be even fewer jobs after that happens.

Better go and get ready for the day, take care, Nikki

nikki, I am so happy for you that you found a diet that you like and that is working very well for you. Continued success with your weight loss. :hat: Sorry that your ankle is bothering you so much today. Does the weather play any part in how it feels or does it depend on how much you're walking on it? I also have to go out an look for a job. I'll begin looking if/when we move to FL. Everything depends on if we sell our cottage or not. I forgot to mention this yesterday. DH & I went grocery shopping and I noticed that Skippy has a low carb peanutbutter. Now, I always thought peanutbutter was already low carb. Well, the low carb peanutbutter had 2 less carbs than the regular, but it was priced $1.00 more. I really think the food industry is trying to cash in on the low carb WOE.

Aleka

Hi,
Aleka, our local grocery has carried that Skippy for awhile and is now carrying all the Carb Option brands. I tried the Skippy, it's just as good as the regular Skippy, but if you put it on something hot, it liquifies. It's probably from all the extra oil in it. It's only 65% peanuts. I think the natural Smuckers is probably better for a person, health wise.

I am not looking forward to finding a job or working again. My ankle is feeling worse with weather change but also with activity. If this keeps up, we will have to move somewhere warmer just so I can walk as I get older.

I got the Slim in 6 today. I'm not going to follow the diet plan, since what I"m doing is working good for me. The exercise tapes are really what I wanted. There are 5 -one beginner, 2 more advanced, one ab, one flexibility tape. I watched the beginner and I liked it. The instructor has no annoying habits (big bonus for me), she explains things well-how to do the exercise correctly, what not to do and she even shows modifications for those of us who have back, knee, ankle and neck problems. I also watched the flexibility one and will do that on my day off from exercise. What I like about this program is, you are building strength, but not bulking up the muscles you have. I don't need to get bigger. I am really bored with the exercise tapes I have now, I"ve done them all a million times. It's a good thing to change it up a little and get your body doing something different once in awhile.

How's everyone else doing? Haven't heard from Sugardrop in a few days. Are you busy in the yard? Lynn, I bet your busy cleaning up the boat house. Anne, hope your doing ok.
Take care, Nikki

A good morning to you all.. :coffee2:

We had sun most of the day yesterday, and we got a little walk in before it clouded over in the afternoon with snow flurries. Thankfully it didn't stick.

lynn, how are things with the boat house? Hope the water is still receding.

nikki, our grocery store, Hannaford Bros., has their own brand of natural peanutbutter that I usually buy and if they're out of their brand I will buy Smuckers. I really like the natural peanutbutter. Let us know how you like the Slim in 6 exercises when you start doing them. I have yet to see their infomercial. Do they have a website? I had a good laugh about your fish story. :rofl: :lol3: Stripes sounds like a little :devil: Has he gotten anymore fish? I can just picture him sitting there waiting patiently. :lol:

ANNE, hope you had a good work week. The weekend is here, now you won't have to deal with :devil: for a couple of days.

sugar, hope you're doing ok. How is the WW coming along?

Have a great Saturday everyone.
Aleka