Laura ~ Basting, Putting the backing,badding and front of the quilt together and then I can go onto the quilting, I guess Sewing and Quilting arent the same thing LOL.

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I woke up at 8:30 this morning and like every morning I got my morning duties done. It just turned to noon, Already today I took out the trash and cleaned inside of the trash can and Im about to make Deviled Eggs to take to a picnic Scott and I are going to at 5 pm today. Im also gonna do my 2 mille walk after I get done making the Deviled Eggs. Im really looking forward to the picnic, DA4A has one every year and this one will be the 2nd one I've been too, I wasnt able to go last year so Im really glad I can go this year and of course tonight before bed I'll do my 2 mile walk again so I'll walk 4 miles before the day is over.

Hi Everyone and Happy Weekend! I am ready for it.

I let my emotional eating get out of control this week and was back up on the TOPS scales. I really must break this pattern. I know I just need to do a lot of "talking" to myself when I feel that food will make it better.

The test today went well. The ablation is still on BUT they saw a nodgle on his kidney and they sent that to his primary care physician to evalute what should be done (tests?). We just did this in January and so while I am a bit concerned I'm just more weary of this whole medical thing and so is my DH. Thank you for your prayers and if you will continue to pray about the kidney thing I would appreciate it.

Terra: Thanks for posting the pictures. You are making good progress with the quilt and I really liked the rugs that you found.

Michelle: Good idea to weigh-in at the Bariatric department . I hope those scales have good things to say.
I have a friend who hikes and she loves it! Also, I have been told that doing cardio at a lower pace and longer time period is what burns fat, so I think hiking would be perfect. I am sorry to hear about your friend from the dog park.


Shad: Your garden beds look lovely! You have quite a bit of cleaning planned..won't it feel good to get it all done?! I keep telling myself that as I want to get all the floors in the house mopped tomororw--I mop the wood floors about every 5-6 weeks. Otherwise I sweep them and also dust mop them weekly.

Ceejay: Housecleaning does count as exercise. It is even listed in MFP. What are you planning to do on your actual b-day next week?

Happy: One more week with your mom correct? I bet you DH is missing you just like the kitty's are.

Annie: just a few more weeks and you will be back to work...I bet these days are just flying by now?!

Laura: Good for you for putting that pedometer. I need to get back to being motivated by my fitbit. I just haven't been focused.

Hi ladies,

I decided to get weighed at the clinic close to my work. I just got back. No change. Still 230. Just 1 pound away from the weight where I can get scheduled for my pre-surgery psych evaluation. Just 6 pounds away from my surgery weight. I may still get weighed at the bariatric department this afternoon...depends on how much I eat between now and then.

Based on what I'm hearing from other pre-op patients that have already had their psych evals scheduled, they are currently scheduling psych evals for October, and there's a backlog. I really, really want my eval soon so I can have my surgery in November so I can travel to Southern CA for that holiday in December that shall not be named.

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Terra - I love deviled eggs. I'm not going to make those this weekend, but I am going to boil up a bunch of eggs so I have a quick, easy protein packed snack.

Susie - Sorry to hear about the emotional eating. I do that all too often. In fact, on Monday, when I thought Santa was really ill, I went to In 'n' Out burger. I avoided the fries and their famous Double Cheeseburger, but I did have a single cheeseburger and a chocolate shake (both of which were very yummy). And then I wonder why I haven't lost weight this week. I'm glad your DH's test went well. Hopefully the nodule on his kidney is nothing to worry about. Continued prayers for him and for you.

Susie ~ Yeah but I was watching videos on how to make a t-shirt quilt last night on youtube and I didnt do it exactly like your suppose too, I guess I was suppose to put a boarder around each t-shirt oops.

Michelle ~ Yeah I like Deviled eggs too but I guess they dont do good in the heat, I ate one before Scott and I left the picnic and they were dry after an hour sitting outside in the heat so next time I'll make something that can stand to be in the heat lol but then again hopefully when we have our picnic next year we'll choose either a cooler day or have it in doors.

Hi ladies,

Last check in for me for the remainder of the week. The first 2 weeks went by rather slow, now things are ramping up quickly. I talked to my cousin on FB today - the ones that live north of me and they are also down here for some weekend activity. They offered me a ride home on Tuesday with them. It was VERY tempting - I would love to get home a few days early and decompress before we have plans for the Labor Day weekend but in the end it did not work out and I am sticking to the plan of flying home on Thursday. I hope everything will be ok, shortly after the cousin's call I was watching the afternoon news and a plane just like the one I am flying on the carrier I am flying had problems at take off and had to land in the middle of a cornfield in the middle of the state. Oh my! I guess stuff happens but everyone was ok. Except for being stuck in the middle of a cornfield. I am going back to Mom's to finish out the week, I sure do hope she will keep the house a bit cooler with the upcoming heat this weekend. I am also having to pack up a box to send off in the morning with some of my extra clothes - I had some extra stuff shipped here and need to send it back because it would overload my suitcase. I needed to wash some of the stuff I'm packing (poor planning on my part) and Sis's washing machine stopped in the middle of a cycle. An extra 40 minutes to reset things. Then I put stuff in the dryer and set it on low as I do at home and her low is very low. When I came back an hour later my stuff was still wet so I am up after midnight waiting 45 minutes for clothes to dry so I can pack them. We will drop the box off at UPS tomorrow and then go pick up DH's favorite Italian sausage at Portillos. He was excited that I might be driving home with the cousins - "now you have room to pick up some bbq ribs" Sorry honey.

Terra - there is a big difference between quilting and sewing. I know how to sew but not how to quilt - always wanted to learn. I made a patchwork quilt once - like you I wasn't sure what I was doing but I loved that quilt and used it until I wore it out. I'm sure the same will be with yours - made from love and that's what counts I like your new area rugs - very pretty.

Michelle - I can imagine how frustrating it can be to be so close to scheduling your surgery yet a pound is standing in the way. You are doing very well with the commitment to food and exercise - don't give up. It's good training for post surgery including the protein packets. When one of my friends hit a plateau dieting on WW, they said to increase the protein by a touch - a few ounces of a bigger chicken breast or an extra poached egg in the morning and she said tat helped her past the hump. I know you will get back to hiking one day - as you said it doesn't have to mean carrying a heavy pack - just being able to enjoy some gentle trails in that wonderful place where you live. I'm glad to hear that Santa's whoops was temporary and he is back to goodness again. And yes to your question about the ring molds - mini bundt pans for individual cakes and such. Works for kitties - not sure if that would work for a dog of Santa's size - same concept though as a centered dome in the bowl.

Susie - good thoughts for DH and his ablation Bummer about the kidney but I am reminded of several instances in which people got pre-op tests and they discovered something totally treatable that might have been otherwise missed so try not to get too down on it. I can understand the desire to "just be healthy again, so tired of doctors". So you have a Fitbit too? My sister has one and she just joined MyFitnessPal so I will have to look into that also. I really would like to do a walking 5k come spring time. Do you get your steps in on the treadmill? Yes, I miss hubby and he said he misses me too. The kitties? Well maybe not so much The little one is driving him nuts with constant cries to play all the time. I hope you made it through the team building exercise unscathed.

Shad - your garden looks like mine but your beds are in WAYYYY better condition! I need you to come over and help me but you'd probably freeze and we aren't even in autumn weather yet. I think Miss Sunday is more vocal than both of my cats put together. She knows who is the boss. Had DS finished up all of your home projects? Is he still flipping houses with his girlfriend. Lucky he inherited your "handy genes".

Laura - I thought you were quitting WW or are you just finishing out the current session? Are you looking forward to the heat this weekend? Last hurrah of summer perhaps. Lucky for you that you didn't get the rain we did the other night - my Mom's area got 4.5 inches - by the grace of God her basement did not have water. We didn't get as much down here but the city got whacked pretty hard. I have envy of all the shopping and grocery stores out here. We were picking up a few things at Meijer's today and I told my sister it is just incredible to me the abundant variety of things like detergent, pasta and cereals. I told her she will miss that when they retire. It's a good thing we have less to pick from - I can't afford my old grocery trips any more I was emailing a thrift shop volunteer the other day and she lived in Wrigleyville for 25 years and 18 in your town. It just amazes me that we were all travelling in the same circles and just passed as strangers only to meet later in life!

Hi Annie and Ceejay!

Guess I'd better go check my laundry. Typically I am up for another hour but because we have a busy day tomorrow I would like to get up early and for once I can't get to bed. Have a good week everyone and I will catch up with you next weekend.

Seems the crazies are moving in. Hope that the moderators delete the above post. That's the second crazy message in as many weeks.

Been very cold today. By our standards anyway. Got to about 16C today with rain and a cold wind blowing. Not nice out. I guess the rain is good for the garden - all the little plants are standing up and thinking about getting on with it. A bit of warm wouldn't go astray tho.

DS's cat is here. Thought I had lost him today and was wondering what to say to DS when lo and behold this black shadow appeared. He makes little noise and sort of slinks around the shadows. Anyway, he is back and I don't have to grovel to the the son.

Not much else to report. I've cleared and dusted and swept today. Mr Puss had a bit of an accident on a rug so that had to get dragged outside and cleaned as well. Might get on to washing all the wooden floors tomorrow - after the cat has gone.

Footy was on earlier so I shouted myself some chicken and chips. The boys won, can't say the takeaway meal did. Couldn't eat them all - cats got some of the chicken, the didn't seem interested in the chips - can't blame them since I won't be getting them again for a long while.

Anyway, I'm off to hit the hay. I'll be back tomorrow with personals.

A police detective called me to see if I he could view the video of the camera. He did. He filled me in on some things that make me want to leave concerning my neighbors son's. He actually told me to watch my back.
I'm not like this heat wave at all.
Got out Thursday and trimmed the bushes. Nose was running all the time. Later that afternoon I had a full blown allergy attack. It's better today but I've coughed so much that I've made my back sore.

Michelle
Yes my birthday is the 27th. I will be going to my sister's in Missouri on Thursday.

Happy ~ Yeah I've noticed now that there is a big difference between sewing and quilting lol but yeah your right all that matters is that it was made with love.

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I woke up at 7:30 this morning cause I forgot to turn my alarm on to go off at 5 am so I could get up and be ready to walk outside at 7 am. Oh well I'll be sure its on when I go to bed tonight. As I do every morning I got my morning duties done. Right now Im just watching t.v while eating breakfast but after breakfast Im gonna do my 1st 2 mile walk of the day and then I'll walk again at 1 pm and then again at 6 or 6:30 tonight and Yes I still need to clean the bathroom before I go to bed tonight. If you couldnt guess Im a put things off for another day type of person when it comes to house work LOL.

I had planned to go to the gym between when I got off work yesterday and the weight loss surgery support group, but traffic was so horrible, I didn't have time for the gym. I did have a bit of a victory though...since I didn't have a chance to eat dinner before the meeting, I had a Quest protein bar (yummy, lots of protein, very few carbs). And then when I got home, I had a protein shake. It was a great meeting! Really nice people and I learned A LOT!

This morning, in an attempt to make up for not exercising yesterday, I did 10 minutes on the rowing machine and 60 minutes on the bike while watching a Robin Williams standup comedy routine on my phone (great way to make the time pass faster). And today's going to be a healthy eating day too because I'm going to be home and doing website work.

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Ceejay - How scary for you regarding your neighbor's son. Sending prayers your way.

Shad - So is "shouting" chicken and chips like ordering take out or delivery? Glad you didn't lose your son's cat.

Terra - good for you for getting your walking in.

Happy - I just love to read your posts. I'll miss you when you're at mom's. I'm definitely not going to give up. Every time I want to eat something that's got too many calories, fat or sugar/carbs, I ask myself if it's worth delaying my surgery, and the answer is always a big NO. As for hiking, I don't think I'll ever be a backpacker, day hikes are more my thing.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I've really got to get some work done.

Morning all,

Rain has stopped - yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. We might dry out a little now. Not that it wasn't welcome mind you.

Ceejay - you just have to be careful - that's all. If you give in and move because of the neighbours son, you have let him win. Never give them the satisfaction. If more of us stood up for our right to live in peace and harmony then we wouldn't be in the situation that you have at the moment. Take care but don't let the ******* ruin your life.

Michelle - well done on upping the exercise to make up for the lack of it yesterday. Good move.
'Shouting myself dinner' or shouting anything is where you give yourself or others some sort of treat. You might shout a round of drinks for those at your table (pay for drinks for the girls!) Or you might 'shout' your B/F to the movies. Hope that clarifies it.

Happy - good luck on the last few days 'at home' with Mum. They will have come and gone before you know it. Loving the DH's wildlife pics at the moment. The DS is not doing anything around my place at the moment. He is busy with his own place - putting an extension on two bedrooms. Doing quite nicely too. I've got a few projects lined up. They will have to be planned, budgeted and sourced before they can come to fruition. I might have to go back to work.

Annie - likewise the food porn on facebook. Hope you had a good birthday dinner for the DS.

Laura - Hate housework, that's why I divide it up into segments of time. Then I have the weekends free to do my own thing whatever that may be.

Susie - Bad luck on the weight gain. Do you keep a food diary? Can you work out what may have caused the gain?

Okay - time to get out amongst it. I can hang the washing out now. It's fine enough. Then I might get on with doing some planning for the rest of the vege garden. I need to put some weedmat and mulch down between the beds and also pot up some herbs. I'm working on a design for a herb garden. Laundry first.

Michelle ~ Yeah I feel good after I walk

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I woke up at 3 am this morning and I've been up ever since cause I went to bed way too early last night so when 3 am came around my body and back was telling me "GET UP, ITS TIME TO GET UP" LOL. So I went ahead and got up, I dont know if I'll take a nap today or not but what I do know is not to go to bed so early again. Since Im up so early though I definitely plan to get my 5 miles in today and I'll definitely have plenty of time to clean the bathroom today LOL.

It's been a busy weekend. DH worked yesterday so all the house cleaning was mine to do. I clean a bit deeper than DH does and so I didn't get finished until today. Things look nice in the main rooms of the house.

I need to give the office and exercise room a bit of attention but that will come this week after work.

It always seems I have so many things that need done and don't get to them. There is always a closet to clean out, something to organizes, etc. So I decided to make a list of things I would like to get to and I've told myself that when I feel like I want to eat and it's not a "meal". I will get some water and tackle one of those things on my list. I'm trying to break the list down to be something I can do for 45-60 min. That is about how long it can take me to get over a craving.

Today I took a nap this afternoon and then finished cleaning the living room and dining room. DH is grilling a steak for him, and corn on the cob for us as well as vegetable k-bobs. It's going to be yummy!

Shad: Yes I do keep a food diary but when I'm eating bad I tend to not put it down and that is something I need to work on. I'm logging it all in MFP.

I'm glad DS cat came back. It sounds like you had plenty to keep you busy with the potting and the laundry.

That weird post is still here. I've never seen those before. I hope the moderator will remove it.

Ceejay: I don't even know what to say about the neighbor's son! That is just downright frightening. At least you know now and can be more aware. You might want to buy a baseball bat to keep beside your bed or in the car!
We have a heat wave here in Ohio as well. It's going to be a miserable week if you aren't in air-conditioning. My DH doesn't work in it and I don't know how he does it. He will be a bit more tired this week due to the heat.

Michelle: I hope you had a healthy eating day being at home today. What was on the menu?

Terra: Your quilt is a labor of love and your memories. It is also a learning project and I know that you will love it and feel accomplished when you have it finished and you will have learned something new. All those are good things.

Happy: Enjoy the last week with your mom and stay in the air-conditioning!

Hi Laura and Annie!

Evening everyone. Not doing much at the moment. Bf went out to pick up the pizza we ordered for dinner. I know, not the best thing that we could have chosen. But we like our pizza, what can I say??

Let's see, what did I do this weekend?

Friday late afternoon was the lake cruise with my friend D. It was a nice time, as usual. There was no rain or storms, but it was hot and humid. We stayed inside for a while in the air conditioning and then went out on deck where it was nice if you were in the front of the boat ans caught the breeze.

Yesterday morning I went to Jazzercise class. We had a routine that included across-the-floor exercises. The exercises were walking in squat position alternating with walking on your tiptoes. Another exercise in the routine was lunges across the room, 2 lunges with the right foot & two lunges with the left foot, alternating all the way across. I'm actually pretty sore today from that.

After that, the early afternoon was spent getting ready for our friend to come over for a cookout. Since it had already been so hot and so humid that day I knew we wouldn't be spending any time on the patio. And about a half hour before our friend arrived it stormed and then it kept raining for a while afterwards but it let up enough for BF to grill the steaks. We had a nice afternoon. Bf and I watched a movie in the evening.

Today I did some laundry & copied some old Body Electric episodes from a VHS tape to our DVR hard drive. I plan to copy the episodes onto a DVD. I'd like to get into doing those workouts regularly.

Well, my phone is about to die and I'm sure bf will be back with the pizza soon, so I will get this posted and be back tomorrow with personals. Have a great evening everyone

Taking one day at a time with the neighbors. Like Shad said they will not get the upper hand. My aunt wants me out of here yesterday and she is very persistent to the point that I'm getting peeved I'm not being persuaded by her opinion. Told her I could not just up and move that quickly. It's my life not hers.
My allergy attack Thursday got worse on Friday but today it is a lot better. Still have a been of a sore throat.

And by the way Susie, I've thought about the baseball bat as that is what my mom kept under her bed. I've got my dad's 22 single shot in the closet but like Barney on the Andy Griffith show I have no bullets. At least he had one.

Michelle
I'm happy that you have a good support group with the weight loss surgery. I really need some kind of one on one support.

Laura
Yum pizza. I didn't realize what Jazzercise included squats. But with the walking around part that probably would not be to bad.

Terra
That's why I like to keep the same schedule. But I realize that's not always going to happen. My back tells me the same thing when I lay there to long