SHAD SAYS: I am lost in cyberspace and will be back when the GPS allows me to know the way. Needless to say, two more walls got painted yesterday and the 2nd bedroom is no longer 3 shades of purple – rather 1 shade of pale lilac. Another coat this morning will take it all away I hope.

SHE'S JUST ABOUT TRIED EVERYTHING AND IS BEING BLOCKED OUT THE WAY I WAS FOR 2 DAYS. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED IF I HEAR FROM HER.

ANNIE...YUM ON THE DINNER!!! PUTTING MY COAT ON NOW! THE HECK WITH WAITING TILL THANKSGIVING!! SENDING MORE GOOD THOUGHTS TO MOM. LET US HOPE SHE HAS AN EVEN BETTER WEEK. AND A HUG FOR YOU TOO

I'm back!!!!!

Had to delete everything single thing I have stored on my system for the internet over the past couple of years. But at last something worked. Now I have to go put them all back again. Yes I took screen prints of all the lists and favourites I had stored and now I have to go put them all back. Pooh bar.

Anyway, I need to go to the vet and pick up Sunday's certificate for the cattery (shhh don't tell her yet) and get the DS2 packed and organised for his flight out tomorrow. Then I need to get to work here - clean out the fridge and get rid of a couple of scientific experiments dwelling in the back - etc. So I'd better get started. I'll be back when it gets too hot to work.

Mel, thanks for holding everything together again.

I AM ALREADY DONE DOWNSTAIRS AND BACK HOME. THIS CHAIR IS BOTHERING MY BACK SO I'M GIVINGTHE LAUNDRY ROOM A MISS TODAY. KINDA CHILLY DOWN THERE TOO. IT WAS LOVELY YESTERDAY. I BETTER FIND SOMETHING TO KEEP ME OCCUPIED. HAVE A GREAT DAY!


SHAD~ GLAD YOU GOT ON. AS I SAID IN TODAY'S E-MAIL...I COULDN'T GET ON THIS MORNING AGAIN AND FOR THE SAME REASON. I SENT RUTH AN E-MAIL SO SHE CAN PASS ON THE SERVER NOTICE I KEEP GETTING. NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE. JUST HOPE THEY FIND WHY. HAPPY PAINTING. YOU'RE GETTING SO MUCH DONE!!! I PROMISE NOT TO TELL SUNDAY ANYTHINGABOUT THE CATTERY!!

Gez, it is hit or miss whether I can get in or not. This place hasn't worked right since the take over.

Happy Monday....

Not much happened since yesterday...GO COLTS...GO PACKERS!!! That was the most excitement yesterday. Of course I fell asleep before the 4th quarter was over and didn't even know the Colts won til I got up this morning. Watched the Packers game yesterday too, it was pretty good.

My eyes are a bit tired this morning, hope I make it through both jobs today without falling asleep.

Today is hit it hard day for being OP. So far I have had low fat cottage cheese with cucumber cut up in it, string cheese and a clementine. 1 cup of DECAF coffee. Yep decaf. Boring. Probably be asleep by 10:00 am. Lunch is 2 oz of ham, spinach, cucumber, 1 oz cream cheese, and a very small tortilla. It is a mini tortilla. Kind of cute. Don't know about dinner yet as I typically don't eat the right foods between jobs, but am going to make the effort and NO snacking at CVS. Already had 2 glasses of water and shooting for 6 more. This all sounds good, now to make it happen!

I hate to post and log out, God only knows if I can get back in here. It took me like 4 tries this morning to get in.

Anyway, have a marvelous Monday. Hello's to everyone.

Love and Hugs,

P.S. MEL....I had sooooooooooooo much left over from dinner last night, you could of brought an army and till had some to spare. I left the light on for you.........

Happy Monday ladies -

I am EXHAUSTED today. Completely, utterly exhausted. But I managed to get the housecleaning all done on Friday and Saturday morning, and it really looked GREAT by the time I finished!! But I did get a great workout Friday and Saturday with all the hours of cleaning!

We had a wonderful visit weekend with my niece. She's a lot of fun and such a sweet young woman. I picked her up at the airport on Friday and we hung out for a few hours. Then she had to lead a training session on Saturday, so we picked her up about 4 and went to get some dinner and went back home where we talked and talked. Sunday we went to the Harley Davidson museum, and then out to a late lunch before she had to get back to the airport.

Annie - Too bad mom was asleep on Friday, but rest was probably just what she needed. I hope she gets to go home soon. for you both. Thanks for the tips/heads up about my niece's surgery and how it affects her eating. Very small portions, spaced out far enough apart. And she can only have fairly soft food, nothing bulky or doughy. Rice, fish, soups, and of course nothing carbonated to drink. She said if she eats too much, it comes back up. She said it is NOT a surgery for sissies, but she's glad she did it. She's lost 90 pounds so far, and I think she wants to lose at least another 50 or so. Good for you for getting back on track! Your meal plans sound delish! I'm right there with ya' getting back on the wagon. I'm definitely ready to get my butt back in gear with eating/exercise. I've got to mow the lawns when I get home, but I'm gonna try and get to the gym after that. Just in case I don't get to the gym, I'm gonna take a walk at lunch to get my cardio in. Congrats on the Colts win! What a bonehead move for the Patriots to go for it on 4th and 2 so deep in their own zone! I was happy to hear that the Colts won. Although I lived in New England as a child, I don't like Bill Belicheck (sp?). The Packer game was REALLY good. No one around here thought they would've beaten Dallas!

Laura - I hope you're feeling better. Chest colds and coughing fits really suck! Our dogs are Mini Schnauzers so thankfully they don't shed, but I know what you mean about the paw prints and snout prints. I really felt like I was coming down with something this morning, but I'm feeling a little better now.

Ceejay - Glad to hear you put off the alumni fundraising. Good for you for taking a 4 hour nap last week. I could sure use one of those right about now, but my boss wouldn't appreciate it! Glad to hear your aunt is okay after the deer hit her car. As for the farter, you should also say on the note that you have a hidden motion detector camera.

Shad - Back to painting and remodeling, huh? Well, that's a productive way to burn calories! Are you going to be working on the house while DS2 is in NZ this week?

Mel - I'm glad your eye is doing better. How frustrating that so many are badmouthing the acquisition. Those 3 chicks have done SO much for us in keeping this wonderful site up for sooo many years! They deserve a break and sizeable monetary rewards. I hope they get both!! Maybe Laura can come by and rake out your lobby! Sorry to hear that your back is bothering you. Rest up today.

Time to go get more water...3 glasses down, at least 5 more to go!

Love and hugs to all,

Chelle...keep me on the straight and narrow. I had about 15 almonds for a snack just a bit ago. I am trying to go back to the basic of bariatric. Protein Protein Protein. Glad you had a great time with your niece and very glad she is doing so well. Tell her not to get too excited as I still have some of the episodes of which you speak. "She said if she eats too much, it comes back up" I cannot drink carbonated drinks either. I never did as I am alergic to carbination in soda so I never acquired a taste for them, therefore I do not miss them. Yes, you all shocked me beating the Cowboys. That is my son's favorite team, but I am guessing he is ready to change his likings.

Stay OP sista...WE CAN DO THIS AS WE ROCK!!! Come on all y'all sistas, jump on board.

Thanks, Annie. My niece said she really has learned A LOT about listening to her body's signals. Lots of protein, drinking milk and that sometimes the difference between keeping it down and not can be one teeny bite. So she eats very slowly and pays attention to the cues her body is giving her. She's doing really well. I'm very proud of her, not just for her weight loss and taking charge of her life and her health, but for the woman she has become.

Aw Chelle, have you told her how proud of her you are and the woman she has become? That is a very sweet, kind thing of you to say about a person. You are awesome.

My body gives me signals and I eat way too fast, maybe cause my life is so fast tracked. I do know that when I don't listen to my body, I barf it back up. She is smart to listen. Why is it when you start a new OP routine, all you can think about is food. LOL. At least I am thinking about good food instead of off program food. I have the babbles today and don't want to work. Can you tell.

Hello to everyone. Wanted to make some soup yesterday, but we were out of a couple things so I ended up doing some shopping - Kohl's (used my $10 off coupon, got 20% off, and earned $10 of Kohl's cash - woohoo!!) , gas, and then groceries, and finally a stop at Oberweis for milk (their skim milk is not watery looking). Back at work today. Ho hum.

Shad - sorry you had set up all your favorites/bookmarks again. What a pain. Sounds like the painting is going smoothly. I'm sure it'll make a world of difference. Stay cool!

Annie - All right, OP here we come! You're off to a good start. I brought my snacks and lunch to work today. I left some snacks in the office fridge over the weekend, but due to weekend construction work there was supposed to be a power down for our floor and I don't think I'll be eating the cottage cheese and yogurt I left in there! (I wasn't there on Friday to remove them.)

Michelle - Sounds like a wonderful weekend you had w/ your niece. The surgery seems to be going well for her.

Ceejay - glad no on got hurt by the deer in the road. What's up w/ that farter??!! People really have nothing better to do??

Mel - Hope the chair stops bothering your back. Take it easy. You know the laundry will still be there!! Sorry, I had my share of raking this past weekend!! Bf will have to deal w/ the rest of the leaves this week.

Have a good day everyone!

Annie - Yes, I'm pretty sure I've told my niece that I'm proud of her....but it can't hurt to tell her again. Thanks for the suggestion. I don't have the babbles, but I'm not feeling all that great (nausea big time) and can't really focus on work. But I can't go home sick until 3 as I have a bunch of afternoon meetings.

Linda - Glad you were feeling good enough to do some shopping. Kohl's gives great discounts! I had an OP lunch today. Beef and Broccoli (plus lots of extra veggies) over brown rice. Had a small bagel and cottage cheese for breakfast earlier. Tonight's dinner is gonna be a Lean Cuisine and maybe some veggie soup.

Chelle...hopin' you feel much better by this evening. NO SICKIES!!!

Hi all,

Been absentee-o myself. I had just read about the 3FC sale and then the site got wonky until it flat out died. Haven't been able to get in after several tries on several days so I just quit checking. Tried this morning, got in and when I went to get to our thread, it died again. The positive thing in all this frustration has been that it showed me that I need to be focusing on other stuff rather than spending way too much time on the computer. So I will probably be cutting back my time here and doing more peeking than poking.

We're trying to get some plans in place to put wood floors in - at least in the downstairs part of the house for now. That means getting everything off the floors in the closets which means an incredible amount of re-arranging. In some regards it's making an awful mess - I need to stay focused and remember a bit at a time eventually gets me where I need to be.

Foot is still bothering me - probably need surgery to remove the cyst.

Trying to step up the weight loss battle as I have not succeeded at all with even a modest 1 pound a week loss. I'm about to super-glue my lips shut, save for a hole the size of a straw.

On another note, I am in hog heaven. Back in the 70's I had a candle made of wax chips with a scent I absolutely adored. It had sandalwood and patchouli and something else and it was divine. I've been looking for a replacement for the last 30 years. Yesterday I was talking to Mom who was complaining that her last terry cloth lined shower cap was about to bite the dust and she could not find a replacement. I did my handy dandy Google search and found a place called The Vermont Country Store. Not only did they have shower caps (and hair nets mind you) but believe it or not they had a perfume compact of my beloved Sweet Earth scents. I ordered 2 and can't wait to get them. I'm sure they won't smell anything near what I think they should smell like but it's great to find something you've been searching for your entire adult life I promise NOT to wear them around Mel.

Laura - I do so miss Oberwiess milk. Their skim was the equivalent of everyone else's 2 percent and the only skim I'd drink. Enjoy a glass for me - I might sneak a gallon back with me again at Christmas time if we have room for a small cooler. Glad you got some bargains at Kohl's. I try to do my Christmas shopping there and wind up getting more for me than presents for my gift list

Michelle - glad you had a nice if not whirlwind visit with your niece. 90 pounds off is great! How long ago did she have surgery? I think we all might benefit if we followed some of the good practices that bariatric patients follow - like small meals, tiny bites, chew well, don't eat the bad stuff.

Mel - are your eyes feeling better now? How great to find that the agar cream helped. You just have to lay some rules down with the office ladies if they want your help. Not that they will listen of course.

Annie - I loved the sound of your mini tortilla. I have some little WW cream cheese cups left - might try that myself. My DH has switched to decaf and is trying to bring me over to the "lite side" so we don't have to make 2 pots of coffee. I told him I only have one cup in the morning and if it's decaf, why bother? Although I think I may have drank his this morning. Let's call each other around 2pm and wake each other up

Ceejay - ewww on the farter. Perhaps he just discovered how good those darn Fiber One bars are. You need to get yourself one of those air horns and toot him back when you hear him pop

Shad - argh having to reload the system. I think mine needs a good cleaning too. Do you do house calls? Why is Sunday going to the cattery? Are you traveling over to NZ?

Ok, lunch is long over. Gotta run chicks. See yahs.

Happy...looks like we missed the 2:00 wake up call...sorry I was sleeping. I won't really notice the big difference til tonight at CVS. I will be dragging. Once I start yawning, it's all over. You DH has a point about the decaf, I guess it is just the taste we would be after not the caffeine, and I don't think coffee tastes all that great anyway. It is just something to do besides eat! Kind of like going to Starbucks and ordering a NONFAT, DECAF, SF CINNAMON DULCHE', ONE EQUAL, LATTE, NO WHIP, EXTRA HOT I mean what is the point. lol Tastes good tho. I might cut back next time I ever go to SB and leave out the EQUAL...LOL..

I would love hardwood floors but God knows it is NOT in my budget any time soon.

Have a great night.