I HAVE SOME TIME TO MYSELF...THE VISITORS HAVE BEEN IN NYC (WONDER IF THEY RAN INTO CARLA) AND WALKING AROUND TOWN MORE THAN HERE THEY NEVER SIT STILL AND APOLOGIZED THIS MORNING FOR THEIR ABSENCE. I TOLD THEM IT WAS FINE WITH ME. THE NIECE-IN-LAW IS WONDERFUL AND VERY EASY TO TALK TO. CLARISSA IS A LOVELY GIRL. MATT IS A VERY LUCKY GUY. UNCLE JOHN IS COMING TO GET THEM TONITE OR IN THE MORNING. AS YET UNDECIDED. THEN I WILL SPEND TIME WITH "MOM" AND CONSOLE HER. HER FAMILY IS ALL GOING BACK TO WORK IN THE MORNING AND THEY TOLD ME SHE IS ALREADY CRYING. GLAD I SAVED MY VISIT TO HER FOR LAST.
SO.....EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE FALLING INTO PLACE. JUST VERY CRAMPED!!! NOT SURE IF THE KIDS ARE COMING BACK AFTER UNCLE JOHN'S. I TOLD THEM I AM HERE IF THEY NEED/WANT TO COME BACK. OTHER RELATIVES HAVE VOICED THE DESIRE TO SEE THEM ALSO. SO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!
EATING SOME TAKE OUT AND I COOKED THAT CHICKEN FOR EVERYONE. IT REALLY WAS A BIG HIT. BOTH ARE AMAZED AT THE WAY I DO STUFF AND DRIVE AROUND.
AT LEAST I HAVE BEEN FEELING OK. POOR SHAD GOT THE WORST OF ME WITH EYES, SKIN AND SUMMER HEAT LAST YEAR.
MY FRIEND FROM OZ IS DUE ON 5/9. HOPE THAT VISIT GOES WELL TOO! SHE HAS ASKED FOR A STOCK OF SPANISH GALLETAS THAT SHE CALLS BISCUITS TO BE BOUGHT. SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM LAST TIME. VERY PLAIN. JUST FLOUR AND WATER.

WELL I BETTER GET GOING. GONNA SHOWER BEFORE THEY GET HOME SO THEY CAN HAVE THE BATHROOM.
BTW....NOT ONCE HAVE EITHER OF THEM GONE AFTER ME ABOUT JEHOVAH LIKE MY BROTHER! MATT IS NOT STUPID!!

Afternoon every one. It's cold outside.


Have been to Paragould for a visit with the aunt and uncle. She had planned a birthday dinner last night for April which included her grand daughter, my uncle, and her son and a daughter in law. It was relaxing.

More later. I need to get things ready for work and finish some laundry.

Afternoon ladies! Taking it slow today, just church, then home for dinner. DH barbecued some pork, and we made taco's. MS hit this morning, but I seem to have it under control, I just have to keep from feeling empty. Dh is having a fire, and a heart to heart with my brother. Would like to join in, but the smoke has been bothering me. Well, not plans for this week, will just try to keep up with the housework, and hit the gym for some walking on the treadmill. enjoy your day ladies...I am off to read while the boys are outside!

Morning all,
'm feeling a lot more chipper this morning so maybe something will get accomplished today. I really should remember that the day after a long aeroplane ride is not the best day of my life. Anyway, this morning I've been to the gym, had breakfast/ lunch and am finishing off my cup of tea (Russian Caravan flavour for any that are interested) and then will get up the ladder and paint.
At sometime this week I guess I had better think about what I need to take to Jakarta, find out what the weather will be like, look up the Hotel website and see if they have a gym etc. etc. etc. all those things one needs to do.
Speaking of gyms, it may be time to up the levels or weights again. I'm beginning to notice that some of them are no longer challening me, so it's time to up the effort. When there isn't time to increase the number of reps or the time on the treadie, you have to increase the intensity. I really do not want to spend more than an hour per day in there, so I have to go faster or heavier or smarter.

Mel - glad to hear you are having a great time with the family. Is Carla in NY for the weekend? I knew she was thinking of it, but since we haven't heard from her for some time I thought maybe it was postponed or something. Wonder which of those bridges she has commandeered.

Ellen - hate that morning sickness. Slow rising seemed to do it for me. Mind you I didn't suffer very much anyway, just a couple of bouts with the first baby. Probably the same with the second. I don't really remember back 32 years for things like that.

Ceejay - Glad you enjoyed the weekend at Paragould, although you sound like you could cheerfully gag the Aunt at times from your journal posts. Hope the weather improves up your way shortly.

We have beautiful sunshine here. It's around 75-78 beautiful degrees F. and there is scarcely a cloud in the sky. Lovely day to take a tramp in the bush or to wander along a beach and watch the dolphins play. But I must paint. If I get cracking, I can get the ceiling done by 10 and the walls done by midday. Well the first coat anyway. It will need another too after that, plus time out for the bumps and lumps that I missed the first time around. DS2 took out my old stove yesterday. Today the last of the floor cupboards will go and we will have a bare, barely painted place. Oh such fun. I need to go down the road and invest in a whole range of Lean Cuisine dinners and other stuff we can do in the microwave.

So there you have it. I'll be back later to see how your Sunday is going. Here we are into Monday and it is quiet and peaceful around the place - only the crows are making a noise this morning.

Hello Ladies.....

Not too much going on here at the homestead.

Congrats to you Ellen. I had 1 miscarriage before Samantha and two before Jake. Had prog. suppositories with Jake. They are 22 and 20 now.

Heartstrings, they are.

Shad..hope you are feeling much better by now.

Rennie..sodium can make you feel really sluggish, glad you are feeling better.

Mel...sorry about your friend's dad.

Happy...I have had enough rain, how about you. I am ready for a great sunshiny month.

Ceejay...glad you finally got a restful day.

Diyana.. I see you are still rockin' the exercise world. You go girl.

Saw the movie "21". It is really great. Me DS and his buddy went to see it. Took a nap yesterday and today, and feeling much better. May go back to bed in a few for the night.

Hello to all I may have missed.

Love and Hugs

Evenin' ladies,

Sorry I didn't post but I came here this morning and got tripped up on Mel's website. Thank you very much for posting this link Mel. I picked up some great ideas for breakfast items - always the most challenging meal for me to put together. I then had to roll the ideas into a meal plan and grocery list. DH is sanding the hall closets prepping them to paint (just like you Shad) and a few times my hand was needed to prop up or steady something. In between I was trying to get laundry done and find something reasonable to eat because I don't go to the grocery store hungry. Had to shower up and get dressed and out the door and before you know it, the day is gone. There was a women's market fair with all sorts of crafty things I wanted to go to today, but that didn't happen. I missed the other one last month too. Besides having too much to do, I also consoled myself that I really have more than enough things here - don't need to be spending the money or bringing more things in the house at the moment. And I entered the 3FC 5K rally this weekend and had to get my 5K of walking in today anyway.

Yesterday DH put a sealer on the floor and it smelled something horrid (think airplane model glue or something like that). So we cracked open the windows and went out to breakfast. Afterwards we headed to the Humane Society. I think the cats are starting to recognize us - lots of furry little arms reaching out of the cages - pick me, pick me!! Every one of them gets some loving before we leave. DH is falling in love with a couple of them who clearly prefer him over me. That's ok, I have my favorites too. I take over the counter allergy medicine as I am allergic to bunches of cats. The stuff I used for the last 20 years was reformulated because the druggies decided it had just the right ingredients for making crystal meth. :rant: The new stuff works but not as well as the old stuff. Generally I can handle about 2 hours at the Humane Society before the wheezing and coughing kick in. Unless I take 2 tablets which work well but put me to sleep Yesterday I didn't realize we were going to the kitties after breakfast so I had not taken a pill until we drove up to the shelter. I dug in my purse and found one of the few old tablets I had of the original formula. We put in our usual 2 hours of work and I wasn't even sniffling as we left. Darn druggies ruin everything! anyway I will hang on to the last few pills just for when we go to the shelter.

My azaleas have come in half heartedly. The ones that did come in are quite nice but other bushes right next to them barely bloomed if at all. Others in the neighborhood are doing the same so I know it's not like we under/overfed them or trimmed them too late in the season. The locals tell me there are lots of things that affect them. The dogwood trees are blooming with their delicate white flowers and look so fragile against the colorful azaleas.

It's gotten quite cold out here too. They are predicting light rain and snow flurries tonight and tomorrow. A widespread frost warning is forecast for tomorrow night. I was worried about our Japanese Maple that only shoots out leaves once a season and just popped out last week as well as 2 trees we have that seem to be water based. Last year's frost caused the maples delicate leaves to shrivel up and turn yellow and the 2 trees green leaves looked like yucky rotten spinach leaves. And they only shoot out new growth now so if they sustain damage it stays that way until the fall when they lose their leaves completely. So DH and I covered the 3 most fragile bushes with sheets tonight. Looks like Halloween ghosts at our house I'm sure the neighbors will walk by and talk. Hope it scares the dogs of those who like to walk late at night and don't carry a doggie bag with them.

Mel - I noticed that Igor seems to have run off with your top I'm glad you seem to be having a good visit with the family and that they are not expecting too much of you. Thank you again for posting that website full of great ideas

Annie - like you I am ready for nice weather and sunshine. The yard needs lots of work and I'm eager to start planting. Glad you're feeling better. Getting a bit more extra sleep may be just what you need to beat off the bugs.

Shad - tearing things down to the rafters just allows you to build them back up nicely again and with work done right. Painting has to be easier too even if the cooking is not. Do you find that you don't use the stove much UNTIL you can't get at it? Hope the painting went quickly. I haven't decided on colors for the foyer yet. I want to do a neutral beige in the office adjacent to the foyer and am somewhat limited on colors due to the intense blue of the dining room off the foyer. I will have to spend some time staring at paint samples at the home improvement store When do you leave for Jakarta?

Ellen - probably better if you stay away from the firepit smoke right now. Don't worry - we will keep your news a secret here until you are ready to tell the world

Ceejay - glad you had a good time at the birthday party.

Hope the blood tests came out ok Michelle.

Ok, I've rambled more than I should have. Time to get the load out of the dryer that just ended, put the last of the produce away and hit the sack for the night. Good night all... pleasant dreams and a productive tomorrow.

What the back yard looks like when ALL of the azaleas decide to bloom



The large trees on the left and right are the dad gummed sweet gum trees - bane of our existance as they are always dropping something that needs to be picked up. And the dogwood tree is in the middle between them. When this picture was taken it was mostly past it's spring bloom and the green leaves were popping out. The pool is behind the wrought iron fence.

OH HAPPY I LOVE THE PICTURES!!! SPRING HAS DEFINITELY SPRUNG IN YOUR YARD!! ENJOY THE VIEW!!! VERY BEAUTIFUL. THIS CRAZY WEATHER IS GIVING ALL THE GROWING THINGS A HARD TIME. I HAVE NOTICED THAT TREES ARE LOOKING A LITTLE LESS FULLER AND PLANTS ARE NOT AS BUSY EITHER. SAD. TOO BAD ABOUT THE SEALER SMELL AND THE SINUS MEDS. I KNOW THE FEELING FOR BOTH! TODAY I WILL GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE MEAL IDEAS. I WOULD LIKE THE BREAKFAST BURRITOS FOR THE WEEKEND!

SHAD~ AT LAST E-MAIL THE TRIP WAS STILL ON. BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM CARLA IN AWHILE. WILL SEND OUT THE MOUNTIES VERY SHORTLY! WE CAN HAVE OUR LC'S TOGETHER. JUST BOUGHT A BUNCH OF THEM AND WW TO FILL THE FREEZER. HOPE THE KITCHEN GOES WELL.....AND QUICKLY!!

CEEJAY~ PARAGOULD AND A BIRTHDAY DINNER! VERY NICE. HAVE A GOOD WORK WEEK!

ANNIE~ HAD A BIT OF A CHUCKLE AT "HEART STRINGS". A GOOD DEFINITION!!

ELLEN~ HAVEN'T HAD BBQ PORK IN MANY YEARS!! DROOLING OVER HERE NOW!!

THE HOUSE IS QUIET. MATT AND BRIDE ARE AT THE UNCLE'S NOW. LEFT EARLY THIS MORNING. THEY FOLLOWED EACH OTHER. NOT SURE WHY THE UNCLE EVEN CAME DOWN HERE. HIS HEART ISN'T IN IT. DISAPPOINTING REUNION. I CAN SEE THERE IS UNACCEPTANCE OF MATT'S BLACK AND WHITE MARRIAGE. VERY SAD. I FELT BAD FOR CLARISSA. I FEEL LIKE GOING BACK TO BED!! MATT HAS ALREADY CALLED ON THE CELL AND ASKED TO COME BACK HERE ABOUT MID-WEEK. I CAN "HEAR" IN HIS VOICE A PROBLEM. SO I TOLD HIM TO SAY I CALLED HIM CRYING OR SOMETHING SO HE HAS AN EXCUSE. HE SAYS I HAVE ESP BUT DIDN'T EXPLAIN. I WAS AFRAID OF THIS. GUESS MATT WAS HOPING FOR THE BEST. THEY'RE LEAVING THE 19 OR 20TH. I THINK THEY WILL BE HAPPIER HERE. THERE WERE THINGS THEY STILL WANTED TO DO AND SEE.
BETTER GO USE THE DULCOLAX BEFORE THEY COME BACK!!
HAPPY MONDAY!

Good morning chicks,

WAKE UP EVERYBODY That's ok, kind of gray and cool out - the sort of day where you roll over, moan and then pull the covers over your head for 10 more minutes of shut eye.

Except for Mel who's up bright and early. So sorry to hear about the nephew - they sound like a nice couple who deserves better than that. I think the uncle needs a bit of - what's that they used to say - a good box about the ears? Guess you can't pick your family but you can pick your friends and you will always have us Mel Glad you like the yard Mel - I think you'd enjoy sitting out and watching the birds at the feeder. I think the peaceful back yard is the nicest feature of this house.

I went to bed far too late and I think it's going to be a very wild and crazy day. I will try to stay away and pay attention

Hope you all have a good Monday too!

Happy Monday all! I was planning a trip to the gym, but DS had a tummy ache...DD2 had one Saturday, and I think part of what I has yesterday was not MS, as I am feeling better. Must be a tummy bug, hopefully it will be over soon. If DS is feeling better this afternoon, I will go then. Trying to eat small healthy meals, and fight off this tiredness. If I feel up to it laundry needs to be done, and the kitchen needs to be cleaned up. Have to shove off and get the day started!

Quickie as usual with no time for personals although I always manage to read.

Had a wonderful time at Shirleyanne's place. She had several of the "girls" for sinner and I was amazed to see that I was the only person with white hair. The rest of them turned blonde! Must be the city water. Anyhow there were lots of laughs and some tears. I took most of yesterday "off" to regroup and think on my transgressions. I finally faced the scale this morning so my ticker is finally telling the truth. Reality sent me to the gym this morning - the knee still hurts but it may as well hurt from exercise if it's going to hurt anyhow!

Sunshine but still very cold in the morning here. This afternoon I plan to do a bit of raking on the warm side of the house. I have crocus and snowdrops and am waiting for the daffies at the Church. They are up but not in bloom yet. (My Dad and I planted them in 1997 and they are just glorious.) I think I have a picture.

Marvellous Monday to all. Do something nice for yourself today.

Mel - YOU DID THE 5K - AWESOME!!!! I'm so proud of you

Pedal power!!!!!

Good Monday afternoon ladies --

Yesterday was really busy - between cleaning, running errands, and going to the gym. And this morning there wasn't time to post before work. But since I'm on my lunch break, I'll do a quick check in. Thanks for all your support regarding my blood tests. I won't know the results until Friday. And I think my crossed fingers will probably really start to cramp up by then.

Ellen - I agree with the other ladies. Check with the doctor to find out exactly what you should and shouldn't be doing. Take good care of yourself.

Mel - Good for you for doing the 5K!! The chicken recipe looks really yummy. Thanks for sharing it. Saturday was ridiculously snowy! It was awful! Luckily, none of the snow stuck to the ground. Sunday was a little warmer and no snow. And this week, we're getting spring-like weather. Yay! Thanks for the link to the America Takes it off for Summer Challenge. I'm glad you're enjoying the time with your visitors, and that they go off on their own sometimes to let you relax. Sorry that the uncle isn't as open minded about Matt's marriage. What a shame.

Shad - I'm glad to hear you're doing a bit better and getting back to your routine. I totally understand what you mean that bigger chores sometimes have to wait for more time and energy. I had hoped to get a lot more of the house and basement cleaned before my MIL comes, but I will have all but the basement done. I'm taking a 4 day weekend (Friday through Monday) to finish it off. Does heavy duty cleaning and moving furniture and storage totes count as exercise? Oh who am I kidding? I wouldn't feel right if I didn't get a good gym workout in nearly every day. I'll just have to squeeze in my workouts between cleaning frenzies. You're absolutely right about increasing the weights or intensity of your workout if it's not challenging you. I increase the cardio resistance every week or two, and increase my weights every couple weeks. I guess that means I'm getting stronger! Like you, I don't want to spend more than an hour at the gym - there's too much other stuff to do. So I have to keep increase resistance and/or intensity every so often. Or do cardio interval training, where you go really, really fast on the machine for a minute or so, then go at a normal pace for 1 to 5 minutes. And keep rotating that. It really gives a good workout in a shorter amount of time. Shad, can you REALLY see dolphins play from the beaches? Oh, wow!

CeeJay - Glad you had a nice visit with your aunt and uncle.

Happy - Can you get your allergy medicine if you go to the pharmacy window? I used to take Claritin-D, but now you can only get that by asking at the pharmacy window. It's just as well since I'm not supposed to take much decongestant due to my blood pressure. Your backyard is gorgeous! I love your azaleas and the dogwood tree! (I know what you mean about gum trees - what a mess they can be.) Thanks for the photos! Good for you for doing the 5K!!

Ruth - I'm glad you had a great time with Shirleyanne. I like what you said about your knee might as well hurt from exercise. I didn't exercise for the longest time because my back hurt too much. But I finally decided that if I had to take pain meds for my back anyway, I might as well exercise - and it's started to feel better. Of course, I'm not recovering from surgery so that might not be true for you. But good for you for going to the gym!

Afternoon My Friends...........

Anyone having problems with ants in their houses? I think I am going to have to bomb the house. Dang things were even in the dishwasher and bathtub.

Happy...yeah, drugs are just not what they used to be. and I hate having to go to the pharmacist to get what I need. Your flowers are just beautiful, hope they are just as nice this year.

UPS...Don't work too hard, take it easy with that PG.

Diyana...With all the exercising and running around you do you will be skin and bones before you know it. Awesome woman.

MEL...Dulcolax...hmmmmmm, are you full of poo? I can go a few times a day for you. Not a problem.

The weather is supposed to get warmer and warmer this week. 60s & 70s by the weekend altho 'scattered' rain. I can handle the rain as long as it is warm out. The stuff that turns to flurries is what erks me. Hopefully it won't rain much and I can take Hella dog for a walk.

Happy Monday Everyone.

Love and Hugs

Hi Annie - I hate ants! Ugh! We've had good success with ant traps. But using an ant bomb should work even better. You don't have pet birds or fish or anything like that - they wouldn't survive a bomb, which is why we don't use the bombs. Thanks for the nice compliment, you put a great big smile on my face. I've got quite awhile before I'm skin and bones though...but I'm really pleased with the results I'm seeing so far.