good morning everyone. DH went to get the rental truck. We have to haul the old bathtub, tile and materials from the bathroom reno to the dump, pick up new sheet rock and maybe look at a whirlpool tub and new toilet. Very busy day today. He will be back soon and I have to help so I'll try and get back later today. Everyone have a good weekend!

Every one have good day.

Morning everyone,
Been for the walk. Had breakfast and coffee. Need another coffee. The young lad plus g/f showed up before the brain was ready and now the yard is humming with the sound of mower, hedge trimmer. etc. I sent the g/f to paint the verandah posts around the front. That'll keep her quiet for a while. Then I will have to sort out some more torture to keep them at it for 4 hours. Such is life when you have staff.

Mel - little equals the aroma of grilled cheese on toast. Maybe add a bit of onion in there and omg. Only other thing that springs to mind and which comes close is bacon.
Good to here you are coping with the workload and making good decisions on your own health.

Happy - hope you took great care taking the junk to the dump. Too easy to get into dangerous territory down there. The new bathroom sounds good. Does this mean that next time I appear on the doorstep, I have a whirlpool to look forward to??? Wish I was there to help.

Ceejay - sounds like you might be at work. Have a good day.

And with that I am gone. time to sort the hedge issues and decide what happens down the side garden. A trip to hardware heaven is not out of order either.
Bye y'all

A VERY HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU ALL AND MONDAY TO SHAD.

THE DAYS ARE FLYING PAST ME AND THE WASH IS PILING UP. BUT IT SHOULD ALL COME TO AN END SOON. 30 PLUS FRIDGES COME MONDAY. THAT'S THE LAST DELIVERY FOR THEM. THE STOVES WILL TAKE FOREVER. JOHN & THE BOYS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FINISH THEM OFF...I CAN'T KEEP GETTING UP EARLY FOR WEEKS ON END. THEY ONLY HAVE 4 FLOORS DONE. WE HAVE 43 STOVES TO GO. WTF. THE CENSUS HELP IS OVER NOW FOR ME AS WELL. THANK GOD. REAL CENSUS PEOPLE ARE HERE NOW.
OFF TO GET DRESSED AND ROLL OUT THE DOOR.
HOPE YOU'RE ALL HAVING A GREAT WEEKEND.


HAPPY~ NOW DON'T BE HURTING THOSE FEET OR ANYTHING ELSE!! HOPE THE DH DOESN'T EITHER. HOT TUB SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!

CEEJAY...HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND TOO. HOPE IT'S SUNNY DOWN THERE

SHAD...DID YOU BUY ANYTHING GOOD AT THE HARDWARE?? INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW THESE THIONGS NOW FOR THE LANDLINE...I AM FREE EVERY DAY BUT WEDS AND THURSDAY. BOTH WILL BE LONG DAYS. I KNOW YOU ARE BEGINNING THE NEW JOB AND NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE TIME NOW. GLAD TO HEAR YOU HAD "STAFF" NOW!!

Morning every one.
It's cool this morning but with sunshine.

Shad
I am at work today. Yesterday was a boring day. Le us know how you like the new job.

Hi everyone. Been a nice quiet weekend. Friday is when we finally had the grilled steaks. Yum. We watched a Jesse Stone movie (from Robert B. Parker's novels) that night and that was about it. Saturday morning I did a Margaret Richard dvd workout. One of the 2 MR dvds in the set didn't load properly, so I went to the 2nd and it was fine. After I finished my workout, I put the 1st one back in the player and it was fine. Whew. I used that dvd twice previously - so it would seem odd to go bad now. Just hope the dvd player isn't going south...

I loaded the bags and boxes of donation stuff in the trunk, then took doggy for a short walk. Bf and I dropped off the donation to the charity trailer, then went to lunch. Afterwards was Wal-mart. Then to the library book sale. I'd been wondering not long ago how much longer the library would hang onto their vhs video collection now that dvds are the thing, and wouldn't you know it, they were selling them at the book sale for 25 cents each. And guess what - bf was browsing through them and asked, "Isn't this the book that you have?" And I looked and it was an "Organizing from the Inside Out" video. We bought it. I'll have to watch that. But I might wait until bf transfers it to dvd. I'll let you know how the video is.

After the library was the little museum, a historic house in our town. They had a quilt show going on w/ quilts on display from quilters in our area & that of our sister city, Sevres, France. They have a group over here right now who might be stranded given the volcanic ash problem affecting air travel. What a mess that is!

After that was home, a couple loads of laundry, and some time in the yard w/ doggy. Sigh. Can't I ever sit out there in peace? - bf will have his book with him, but usually he ends up on the phone. Then a neighbor dog will bark - and bark, and bark. And kids will be playing (which I can usually tune out), and then our dog will bark... oy. Fifteen minutes of nature sounds only would be nice.

Nothing special last night, just some tv. Today was my last try with making biscotti. Must be my 3rd time and it always comes out crumbly and comes apart when i'm slicing it before the 2nd baking. Grrr. No more. I give up. If only Trader Joe's hadn't stopped selling their double chocolate version of it! Went to TJ Maxx and bought 2 pair dress slacks, 1 pair chinos. Absolutely hated all the tops. Took doggy for a walk by the creek after that, then a late lunch.

Enough of my rambling, on to personals:

Shad - Back to the renno projects - do you ever sit?! You have staff, so I'm sure you do, LOL. Hope there'll be no more wee hours headaches. Our co. uses PeopleSoft on Oracle, and that's about all I know about it!

Happy - Sounds like a big project. I'd thought it was just going to be a facelift... good luck with that. Take care of that foot during all the hauling, along w/ the rest of you, lol.

Ceejay - We've got cool temps w/ sunshine today. I was glad I had my light winter jacket on today when I walked the dog because it was windy.

Mel - What a long project. And that electrician is raking it in with those plugs, huh? Hope you find time to get to your laundry!!

Hello to Annie & Michelle!

Can't believe I haven't reached a word limit on this post, haha, but I'm finished now! Cheers!

Morning all.

Actually it is afternoon here. I have been down doing the weekly shop this morning. I think we will be able to eat for the next few days again. Hate the shopping so I went down very early to get the necessary. This means I don't have to run along with the elderly, the mums and prams and the downright rude.

So today, I need to get on with finishing up the bits that will complete some jobs around the house. Why is it that I always seem to end up with a stack of jobs that need finishing off, or clearing up or something. I think I need some more staff.

Mel - how about we make an effort for tomorrow (Tuesday) morning my time and some time in the afternoon (Monday) for you? It's my last day of freedom and the shopping is down and the house is relatively clean and clear.

Ceejay - you will certainly hear me about the job - good or bad. Hope today is better for you than yesterday.

Laura - how clever of the b/f to find you the video of the book. Hope it works out well, but then if not, 25c is not a big sum of money to fork out. The quilt show sounds nice. I went to one in Townsville. There are some extremely creative and clever people out there. Sad that some of them may not be able to go home for a while. Mother Nature is sure letting us know that she is ticked off. What with earthquakes and now eruptions, we should be getting the message.
Most of the big database programs such as Peoplesoft and SAP live on an Oracle base platform. Looking forward to learning more about it. And thank heavens no headaches last night. I wonder whether I was getting cold overnight. I only had a light blanket on the bed. Yesterday, I put a heavier one on and slept right through.

Last night I watched the end of the Biggest Loser - Australia. For the first time we had a woman winner. She did extremely well and looks fantastic. I had said to the DS2 that I thought the two big men were at the end of their weightloss and sure enough it proved to be. They had actually put on a little from the last weigh in. They both looked very thin in the face - almost gaunt. I hope they find a happy medium soon.
Anyway - back to the laundry and housework. I be back later.

GOOD MORNING LADIES OF THE WORLD!
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT MONDAY AND A LOVELY WEEK. I'VE ALREADY GT A LOAD OF WASH IN AND THE MEN HAVE BEGUN. I NEED TO REPORT TO THE OFFICE AND GET THE REST OF THE DAY GOING. SORRY I CAN'T DO PERSONALS BUT I SEE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN HAD VERY BUSY WEEKENDS AND CEEJAY WAS AT WORK.

SHAD.....TODAY IS FINE. THE INJURED WORKER HAS TO LEAVE EARLY TO GET THE ARM LOOKED AT BY HIS OWN MD SO TODAY IS GOOD. AN D I ALSO MFORGOT THAT TOMORROW IS SCHOOL ELECTION DAy CHAT LATER.

Happy, Happy, Happy Monday -

Okay...I admit. I am in way too good a mood for a Monday morning. Must be leftover endorphins! I'm still in a happy feet, dancing mood! DH and I got all our errands done this weekend, and I got some website work done. And Zumbathon was A BLAST! I went with 6 women from the gym. It was soooo much fun. I danced all but maybe one song. Lots of great music and really fun routines led by outstanding instructors! I wish it lasted longer!

Tonight I can only do 1/2 hour of Zumba and then I need to help DH get the boat out of storage. I've now got some Zumba DVDs so I may try using those at home this week on nights when I can't get enough of a Zumba fix, of course, it's SO much more fun dancing with a group.

Shad - The new project sounds like a good challenge. I hope it runs smoothly, but with engineers and management, you never know. Nice that you'll get a little travel...but not too long away from home. So nice that you have staff! I want staff....oh, but then I'd have to pay them.

Ceejay - I actually bought a hula hoop yesterday. They were selling them at the supermarket for $2.50...I'd seen them at fitness stores for $25. I'm not that good yet. I get a few rotations, and then it falls straight to the ground. But it's fun, in a silly childlike way.

Mel - Glad you got to sleep in on Saturday. And it's nice that Richie's dad is footing the bill for them to fly down to his DD's BD party. As for grilled cheese, I'll take mine with a little ham and sliced tomato, please! 30 more fridges and 43 more stoves! Wow! Good thing John and the boys are taking over.

Happy - Sounds like you had a busy and productive weekend! Don't overdo it though. You want to be healthy and pain free for your vacay.

Laura - Sounds like you had a nice weekend. It sounds like you got a lot done! Good for you! When I sit out in the yard, the dogs only bark for a little while and then they find a nice spot on the grass and take a nap. That's when I get to relax and enjoy the nature sounds.

Annie - I hope you are doing better and got a little time to relax this weekend. Did you get to see your mom and dad?

Love and hugs to all,

Good morning ladies,

I am yin to Michelle's yan. She is crazy with goodness, I am OMG achy! Actually it's been a busy weekend with more physical labor than I'm used to. And it's rainy today which doesn't help either. The weekend flew by as I knew it would. Saturday we hauled things to the dumpster amnesty day and then stopped to pick up some sheet rock for the bath renovations. We did something after that but I'm at a loss to remember what it was? Guess I'm losing it. Sunday I started my usual flitting around start one thing go to another get distracted and I thought - this is not good. So I sat down and took 4 sheets of paper. Wrote down Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Done at the top. And then proceeded to write down all the things I wanted to get done - each on their own separate post it note and placed them on the day it seemed most appropriate to do them. That helped me get more organized though I can use a week off instead of just 2 days. Yesterday I deep cleaned 4 rooms. I told DH that if we picked up after ourselves than I would have just minimimal surface cleaning and could keep the house in good shape until my company arrives. I was really tired yesterday when I finally sat down. Was in no mood to cook and didn't have much to cook anyway so we got some bbq ribs. Big mistake. I have found that I am very sensitive to smoke or smoke flavor - it gives me very bad heartburn. These ribs were smoky. And the cole slaw was loaded with black pepper. DH loved it, my tummy did not. I have a very uncomfortable night - took my Nexium, a Pepcid and was almost tempted to take some of Mom's bottle of Pepto Bismal too. Even though I worked very hard yesterday, I still have tons to do today and tomorrow. I have a bunch of returns to the store, grocery shopping and need to stop at Target and pick some paper goods up. That will take half a day and I still have the 3 biggest rooms to clean downstairs. Upstairs is not so much of an issue as we don't use but 2 rooms and DH said he'd help me with that the week my family is coming out.

Michelle - while Zumba has no doubt got you in a happy place - I'm sure getting the boat out and the prospect of fishing again is what's really got you smiling Must be spring time up north Congrats on doing so well at the Zumba marathon. I hope the week continues for you on a positive note.

Mel - it looks like you've been just as busy as Michelle there. I hope the guy who cut his arm will be ok. Not only a serious wound but I'm sure he probably cannot afford to be out of work either. That's an awful lot of appliances to replace in the building. I'm sure there are some people who are complaining because they got left out. I certainly hope that YOU of all people got new stuff too. Take care and don't be working yourself to the bone.

Shad - I'm going to try and get the book off to you by tomorrow. Will let you know when I've mailed it out. You and DH are alot alike. They had a big sale at the home improvement store. We were right there and DH wanted to come back early in the morning - said crowds just annoyed him and he hated waiting in queue with 20 other people. Which reminds me, we need to get there today as the sale ends today. So soon you will be off to work again. Will you have a long drive? Hope this is a pleasant assignment for you.

Laura - sounds like you had a very busy weekend yourself. I can so relate to what you are talking about with the noisy yard. We have a very parklike and peaceful yard. Sometimes on Sunday mornings we sit out on the patio and have coffee and watch the birds at the feeder. It's so enjoyable ... until the screaming brats next door start their yell fest or the peace is interrupted by the sound of buzzing lawnmovers and blowers. That quilt display sounds very nice. I have seen some exhibits where people are doing quilting and it's quite fascinating. Not sure with my eyes I could do that close up work anymore but I wouldn't mind learning it. AH had a historical society right by the library. 22 years of living there and I never once set foot in the place - shame on me Biscotti looked like it was difficult to master. Hope you find the trick to your favorite flavor.

Ceejay - looks like we are in for a cool and rainy week. What happened to spring?

Annie - I hope you are doing ok with your sore arm. How long will you have to be in a brace? Thinking of you and sending some healing vibes

Well I have sat here long after I planned to. Got up early as we were going to try and catch the space shuttle as it headed to land in Florida but the weather was cloudy and they postponed it so I went back to bed. Posting just seems to take a long time - I must be really slow Most of the morning is already gone and I found a place that has tubs, tile and cabinets that DH and I should probably check out. They are only open during my regular work hours which means I have to squeeze it in over the next day or two. That means a few things will get moved from today's list to tomorrow or beyond. I also have a foot doctor appt this afternoon which messes with my schedule. The foot is doing better - it was hard being on my feet all day yesterday but in the evening while I was watching TV I hauled out the foot bath that I rarely use and enjoyed a nice warm soak.

Anyway - better get moving here. Have a good Monday ladies.

Mel
Loved the graphic.

Whew what a way to start a Monday...physical therapy. Arm is more bendy now but hurts like H*LL. Got into it with dad on Friday afternoon about mom. Long story short...we are not talking. Mom is a mess, I visited with her last night and left crying. I can barely stand it. I had my thrid meltdown in the last 5 days. Talked with baby boy for 4 minutes then after we hung up, I had my meltdown. boo whoo whooo, I feel so badly for my mom, I don't have anyone, I could lay in this house and die and no one would no or care, my dad is being a butt, God help me. Sorry to be so negative and dump, until I get a better attitude I will not be back to annoy anyone. xoxoxo

Hi everyone. Not much to report since I posted late yesterday afternoon. I finished reading the book club selection for May's meeting - "Psycho", so I checked the dvd from the library Saturday and watched it last night. Creepy!

Just had a rather unsatisfying salad for lunch. It was the leftovers of a salad mix. Bf ate half of it the other day, but left me with a lot of carrots and red cabbage (or is it radicchio?) and not much lettuce. Boo. And the dressing I used is nothing to write home about either. I added tomatos and cukes to bulk it up a bit. I threw this together quickly this morning, but I need to put more thought into it if I'm going to enjoy eating salads from home. My problem is that I like the restaurant salads that along w/ decent ingredients they pile on cheese, tortilla strips, dressing, etc. I'll have to work on my salads to make them just as tasty but more healthy.

Shad - Glad you didn't wake up w/ a headache last night. Enjoy the last days before your new job begins!

Mel - Hope you're Monday's off to a good start!

Michelle - Sounds like a great weekend! Your Zumbathon sounded like a lot of fun! I still miss Jazzercise. I received a post card from a past instructor - a very fun woman and excellent instructor. The special is $99 for May - August. I started thinking about going back, but I know I'd start resenting the commuting time, and taking time away from my enjoyment of the summer weather. So for now I'll stick w/ my home exercise and try to work in some cardio. Bf and I have to get out and play some tennis and go for bike rides.

Happy - As usual, the to-do list is longer than the time allowed. Hope you make good headway. Is your family staying with you for a few days before your beach vacation?

Hi ceejay, hi Annie!

Back to work.

Awww, Annie, I'm so sorry you and your dad aren't talking. If I'd had the week (need I add months?) you had, I'd melt down too. I hope you feel at least a teeny bit better after the tears... Hang in there, you can do it!! And don't stay away - we're here for you!!

Annie - Lots of love and hugs to you my worldly sista. I agree with Laura. You are certainly entitled to some meltdowns after all you've been through. And you better not stay away...We're here for you and we love you no matter what attitude you show up with.

Happy - You are accomplishing SO much. Just don't overdo it. I really like how you organized your tasks...that's kind of when I have lots to get done in a limited time. It helps keep me focused.

Laura - You've never seen Psycho before? Is that the original one with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh? I really like Hitchcock movies! I also find it interesting that the "blood" they used for the shower scene was actually chocolate syrup. Bummer about your salad. I like lots of beans and stuff in my salads. Protein mixed with carbs is my motto.