Hi Chicks! I cleaned house all morning. Then I showered and ate lunch. Sister and BIL came over and Sister and I went clothes shopping and the guys stayed at home. We came home and she wrote me a check since she used my Perks card to save an extra 20% on all her purchases. Almost everything was 30% off and then and extra 20% off. She bought 6 tops and I bought 4. I don't even know how much I spent. I'll have to impress you all with my purchases tomorrow.

I'm so tired. We went straight from shopping to an early dinner and then we walked through a nursery because Sister wanted to look for windchimes and a whirly gig to scare away a woodpecker. She bought the most beautiful windchimes, very deep and resonant. Not like the cheap little ones. I think they cost her $70. They would have matched my house too but I think they would annoy me after a while. I told her that I would visit them at her house.

Then they came back here and chatted for a while. I was going to clean more after they left but I'm way TOO tired and my legs are tired too. So I'm off to wash my face and put my nightgown on. Then I'm going to lay on the couch until bedtime.

I'll have to catch up in the morning with my coffee. I hope you all are well. Light and love.

vickie, you have me wishing i had a sister. sounds like you and yours had a great day.

saundra, what a wonderful thing for the ww'er to say. makes me smile.

rose, it's good to have you back. i'm glad you had a fun, safe trip.

curtis and i are just getting in from our hummingbird watch. we sat in the swing and watched and watched. we had one little hummer tonight. life is good.

Rose - of course Ottawa is beautiful - but I am obviously biased! Where did you go and what did you see? Kanata is a lovely area - dh had a townhouse there - when we first met. We used it as our 'weekend cottage' ha ha ha - but sold it once we were engaged and bought a new house together.

Vickie - can't wait to hear about all your purchases - sounds lke you had a lot of fun - and got that cleaning done as well - good for you.

Maggie - I am so glad that you can do Core online - it will take a bit of getting used to but I know you will love it - esp w/all those delicious mangos! I love Mexico too - and have been several times to Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta - I am proud to say I visited chichen itza and climbed the pyramid (never again tho!).

Sandra - cherries! I love cherries - can't wait til they are in season and cheap enuf to indulge in. Congrats on fitting into those shorts - I know that must feel great!

Patti - we have a few old MeatLoaf cd's lying around somewhere - personally I think he would frighten me a bit too if I saw him in person? ha ha ha

Melissa - hope your brain has come back to life and you found something good and healthy to eat.

I did visit the 'party' for a while - it was a happening place. Had a few pieces of fruit dipped in chocolate (gotta love that chocolate fountain!) and a couple of baked pita chips - and THAT'S IT!!! Except for a couple of glasses of diet coke.

Then off to take dd to therapist appt - what a fiasco that was. Still saying she 'didn't like her anymore' and was not going. I was freaking out of course - esp given the fact that I knew I would have to pay anyways as it was too late to cancel. Called and got therapist to call me back on cell phone as I drove home to try and get her? Told her what was happening - she was sympathetic but surprised to hear how stubborn dd was being.

Got home and told dd it was time to go - she still was being belligerent - finally MADE her go (let her wear her new shoes to compensate!)....but she was very uncommunicative - said she no longer needed 'help' - everything was much better now (like all of a sudden all our problems have disappeared into thin air?). Therapist spoke to me alone and to dd - decided to go ahead with appt w/dd, me and her dad (in a couple of weeks) - then decide on plan of action. I am very disappointed w/dd as she is just copping out - got upset I guess cuz at last appt therapist was setting some (what I thought were) very minor boundaries - which dd interpreted as 'taking my side' - of course she wanted everything to go her way - and when it doesn't she reverts to this childlike behavior - I can feel my bp going up and up today!

Then home and to a 3.5 hour dance class - dh and I and little ds went to movies where i had a hot dog and popcorn for dinner (not good) but I suppose it could have been worse? Picked her up at 9;30 and she was a basket case - does not do well when tired and hungry. Crying in the car about every little thing - I did agree to feed her (made her some pancakes but she did have a meltdown when she found out there were no chocolate chips!).

Now she plans to stay up til 2 am studying for exam tomorrow - and missing first period again probably? I am feeling so stressed out - can't imagine going to bed and even falling asleep.

But tomorrow is a new day (with rain expected in the am!) - and it's friday (and I HAVE to get those nomination docs in - hopefully the pressure will help me finish it up!).

Oh ya and did I mention the EXTRA $350US on my MC bill as I was charged for an extra set of guns n roses tickets I did not order!!! I can't wait to fight this one out!

Hi again: Actually we stayed at Constance Bay but drove into Ottawa to just see the sights and go for dinner. We used to go every summer to Ottawa when the kids were young. We would stay at the Château Laurier, it has changed some I notice. I guess the CN does not own it now. It was old but interesting to stay there.
Our son said the Brookside Hotel, in Kanata(I think that is the name) is a good place to eat. It looked expensive to me.
It was a beautiful day and we walked the beach at our son's place. There seem to be a lot of something coming off the trees. It looked like dandelion fuzz but there was no dandelions around. lol

We are going to our granddaughters dance recital this weekend. Gosh, I never knew it cost so much to have them in dancing. I guess you know all about that Froufie. I took tap, ballet, singing, and it hardly cost anything back in the olden days (as my granddaughter says)

Sandra I am so proud of you my friend, you are perking along. Please say a prayer for me as I feel like the jolly green fat giant. Not a nice feeling. I hated going away wearing my jackets (light) when it was so darn hot in Ottawa. It was 89 today.

Well enough, I must get to bed as it has been a long day.
Rose

Good Morning Chicks! Cassie woke me up with her barking at the Gas Man this morning. That's ok though. She's a very fearless watch dog so I never yell at her for barking. I really needed to get up anyway. I'd already had 8 hours and I've a million things to do that I blew off yesterday because I was too tired. So I'm here first with my morning coffee while I try to wake up. I take Prevacid every day and cannot eat until an hour after I take it. So, my first hour is almost always dedicated to 3FC.

I was so tired last night that I didn't even read posts. I'm off to do that now!

Morning friends. Just wanted to stop in and say hi since I didn't get here last night. We've been so busy trying to do things around the house. Then we actually watched a movie together. There were pretty severe t-storms last night so we stayed up with them.
I hope that you are all doing great. I'm motivated to stay away from too much food today as we're going out for our anniversary tonight. 5 years ago today I married my sweetie! I think I'm going to have a filet mignion, baked potato, veggie, and salad. And core to boot.
Gotta get to work, I have a ton to do today.

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY TO MELISSA AND AARON

HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING

Wow! You girls were talkative!

Angela, I never heard of square foot gardening. I'd love to do just a square foot or two. A couple of tomato plants and maybe some red and yellow peppers. I will google it when I get a chance. My soil is awful. Is there a way to repair it? You sound like you have a "contact" allergy. I hope your garden isn't making your sick. That would be awful.

Frouf, I hope you find the pictures. I'd love to see one. It's not hard to post. Have one of your employees at work show you how! Or ask one of your kids. They probably do it all the time! I hope you get all your nomination papers done. You might actually win and then how exciting would that be? We'd know a famous Frougie! Congratulations on not eating too badly at the reception or at the show. The description of the food in the boardroom had me drooling! All things considered, you were a VERY controlled Frouf. I'm sorry it was so traumatic at the Therapist visit and before and after. The Therapist needed to know all of that information so that she could factor it into her counselling. I think I'm a Spring Vickie. I can't remember wheat the colors are that are supposed to be good for me. I just know that I like bright colors and gem colors. I hope that you are work now with all of your paperwork done. I also hope that DD did not make your morning miserable. No one needs that.

Saundra, Welcome Back! I'm glad you had a great time on your trip. One MUST eat all the fabulous food at the B & B. That's a big part of what you are paying for. Congratulations to you for getting most of your gain off already. That's very impressive! You and Angela give me hope for maintenance. Now if I could just get there. I had heard about brown being the new black but I didn't buy any yesterday. I was into bright colors and stripes. Hey....if I'm going to be fat and least I don't have to be all in black! It's funny that your members keep you encouraged but I think it's you who is really a role model.

Kathy, so is the turquoise rib knit top the sexy one that Judd told you to return? I'm glad you kept it since it obviously was very cute! I'm glad that you're enjoying your pool. I can't wait until mine gets open for the season.

Niki, I'm so glad you're back. I was wondering where you were. I'm sorry to hear that your DD is sick. I was hoping maybe you were having fun somewhere!

Patti, Jim too was wondering how they got Prince to appear. Oh Poop! Patti, I'm making a thread for you.

Sandra, bummer that the scale showed a gain but I'm sure you're right about your diuretics. It'll all show up in the end. I loved the WW message. I think some of us are very bad at that. I've said it before that we let a slip/collapse of one meal or snack ruin our whole day or week. Congratulations on our huge NSV! It was a big deal to get into those shorts!

Maggie, that's great that you got to join WW online! I think you'll like it alot. Good luck and we'll be here to help as much as we can. I try not to use my AP's but I do usually use my WPA's every week. I lose more the fewer of them that I use though. I've never had a mango but I, too, am looking very forward to cherries. Yum!

Melissa, I'm glad your brain didn't die forever! Your meal sounds fabulous and very healthfully Core. Congratulations to you and Aaron. I bet the 5 years flew by! Here's to many more.

Rose, welcome back from your trip. I'm glad you had a great time. It's so hard to eat Core when you are "socializing".

Ok, it's time for breakfast and I have to go make two more threads first. I'll be back later during breaks. I still have mucho cleaning to do downstairs and I have to make my chocolate eclair cake. I also have no idea what is for dinner. Not good.

Happy anniversary, Melissa! I hope you have a great dinner out.

Vickie, sounds like you had a good day yesterday. The shopping was a success, and I'm like you with the windchimes. I like them but at other people's houses. We have a very large set that hang in front but fortunately they can't be heard from the bedroom. I'd much rather have a bird feeder hanging.

I'm running late today and Judd's not going in at all. He's playing golf with his friend today -- oh and he played yesterday too but I didn't know where. This morning he told me ... it was the same place where I was hurt and his first time back. He said he saw the exact spot where it happened and isn't surprised because there's a dip and a curve and a bump and a bad place in the path all at the same spot. I told him someone needs to tell the office because even if other people aren't getting hurt, it can't be good for the tires on their carts! We're still being urged to sue but that's just not us. It was an accident and they weren't negligent; they should really smooth out the area in question though.

I am starting a little project today so I must get going. There's a lady at work who's having a baby (remember the shower from a few weeks ago but I didn't go because she's a coworker and we were having one at work so they only invited out-of-towners, blah blah blah???). She went to the doctor last Friday and her BP was up so she was ordered to stay home until after the baby. This is her first and I know she's bored all day by herself, so I stocked up on little goodies and bags and cards yesterday and I'm going to start dropping them by her house anonymously every few days. Today is a foot scrub brush and some "tired legs and feet" lotion. I think she has a month before the actual due date so I'll be looking for more ideas. So far my list consists of: a plant, hair stuff, body lotion, a candle, this foot stuff, and movie tickets. She drinks Gatorade all day too, so I was going to make up a little basket with Gatorade, Goldfish, popcorn and that sort of thing.

Okay, I have to get going. I'll be back on whenever I finally make it to work.

Kathy, Jim and I are not suers either but in your case I would DEFINTELY sue. They have taken no care and it sounds very dangerous. You don't have to sue for a million but what about some compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, the medical bills that insurance doesn't pay. I love what you are doing for your coworker. It is SO kind and thoughtful.

Good morning all! The doctor took one look at me yesterday, and said, "We need to get you on an antihistamine, sweetie." So he put me on Allegra. We'll see how it works. Already, my head doesn't hurt as much, which I consider to be a good sign.

We have a busy weekend planned. This evening, we're getting the boat out for the first time, and taking the girls out on a test spin. Then tomorrow we're travelling to the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, to watch Allen and Lorena be sealed. (In our religion, we believe that families can be sealed together for eternity, not just till we die.) Anyhoo, that's 8 hours away for that whole thing. Then Monday we're going out on the boat, all of us, and having a picnic lunch on the beach. Should be fun, but I'll have to remember the sunscreen!

I'm on the wagon again, and am very proud that I resisted the one last cinnamon roll this morning. Instead of eating it, I divvied it up among my children, so it was gone...no more temptation.

Time to get some work done...
Angela

Angela, what a beautiful belief! I'm glad you got some relief and hope there is more to come. I didn't know that you have a boat. I'd LOVE that! The picnic sounds wonderful. Don't forget the cornmeal chicken cooked in the GF grill is FABULOUS LO and cold.

I didn't tell you all that they sell puppies from the nursery that we were at yesterday. I would NEVER buy a puppy from a place like this but I always love to look at them. I'm a LOYAL Scottie lover and believe in rescue or buying them from a breeder. OMG! There was the cutest Brown Cairn pup yesterday with the cutest eyebrows. He noticed me from the moment I started walking down the aisle. When I went up to the cage, he put his little paw up on the glass and siddled over to be petted through the glass. So cute! There was also a Scottie who could have cared less that I was there. She was more interested in her daschund friend that was in the cage with her. It was hard to leave. My Sister had to drag me away.

Ok, I've eaten breakfast and must get my butt in gear. First the Den where my computer is must get cleaned. Talk to you all later.

Thanks for all of the well-wishes! We're very blessed.

Oh Vickie, I am SUCH a sucker for adoption pets! You would have had to drag me away too! Last week there was a big open house for a new bank near us and it's on a large corner. Judd and I were going somewhere and happened to be stopped at the light at that corner, so we looked over and there was a little Chihuahua in a cage. He said, "You need to go over and look at that dog" so he turned the corner into the bank and parked while I went over to see it. He had said it was a little Precious (all black) but when I got nearer to the cage, I could see it was a little Zuki, black and tan. His name was Elvis and he was about 10 weeks old. The CUTEST little fella I've ever seen! I just nearly broke down in tears and told the lady it was a good thing my husband wasn't here, because we would be leaving with Elvis!

Angela, I agree with Vickie. That is a beautiful thing they're doing! I also second the "don't forget your sunscreen" comment. And Judd takes Allegra every day along with Flonase. He can sure tell when he misses it too. I hope you get some relief soon.

They've loaded me up with work so I'd probably better do a little of it. I'll be back soon.