Good Morning!

Xena: Thank you for the chuckle this morning!! I always said I should have been a blonde, as my Sammi should too!! She was for a little while and I think it stuck with her!! Although, we are much more apt to have what we call "visions"~not the John Edward way, but we fall alot. Just last week we had a "double vision" walking to the car after school. I wish we had a copy of the schools tape to put on YouTube!! First I found the 2 foot hole under the leaves and went down. I thought Sammi was gonna wet her pants!! Then I finally stopped laughing long enough to get up and a few steps later, she found another hole!! We laughed all night long about it. I think the worst part was that one of the mom's of her friend saw this(she was waiting in her mini-school bus) and tried to be nice and pretend she was covering her eyes. So being me, I took a deep bow and claimed my shame!!
All in a days work!!

Battle: I hope the "Jewish Pennicillin" is working! Feel better!

Annie: Maybe you should get some "Jewish Pennicillin" too!! Rest and maybe you can fight it off!

Nancy: I would have needed to hold on to the "girls" too or I would have wound up with a black eye!!

Catherine: I used to give more often when I worked for 911. We actually got 1/2 day off if we did. But this time it was 2 steps away from me at work and it started when I got off for the day so there was no reason to say no. It felt good to do it again. My Scott has given 2x since he turned 18 in May. They even sent him Mets tickets during the summer as a Thank You. Crappy seats, of course, but it was the thought!! And your "primate" reference really is too funny!!

Speaking of my darling son Scott...once again I got the call from him that he was in ANOTHER accident. This makes #4 since he has started even attempting to drive!!!! This kid is killing me!! He has only had his license since June. He has taken driver's ed, and even a defensive driving course, but he still doesn't get it!!! I don't know what I am going to do with him other than selling him to the highest bidder. Thank God he hasn't been hurt or hurt anyone else. And my poor little car is going to be a Bionic vehicle...how many times can they rebuild it???


Have a Great Day!!

Thanks for the welcomes guys.. You are a nice bunch.. Everyone seems well, I am glad for that. My leg is still messed up, ends up it is my Siatica nerve (sp) causing the pain and swelling. Not much to report today, still getten mentally in shape and all.
I am finally ready for Christmas. Need to do some wrapping and I am all done.
After the holidays I will be getting back on the right path. I know it should not matter what day you make a change. But I am choosing to Wait a couple more weeks. Take Care everyone and see you tomorrow.

Hi peepers,
It's great to be back again. We had to fly to Kentucky because my Fil had taken a turn for the worse. We stayed until Saturday and on the way back after we landed we turned on our cell phone only to have a message that he had passed away. He will be greatly missed. He was a great guy and so funny, even up to the last moment. His one wish was to see his kids, and to be able to go home. He got both.
While we were gone, my dog Sadie, decided to eat Daisy's Remidyl pills. They were up on the counter, but she's so tall, she just grabbed them with her teeth and ate thru the bottle and all. My parents had to rush her to the vet to get her tummy pumped. She had them in her system for about 2 hours, so hopefully it won't harm her kidneys or liver. She seems to be fine now, just keep your fingers crossed for us that it doesnt affect her later.
It seems the bigger the airplane, the tighter the seats got as well as the seatbelts. When we flew out, everything fit ok, tight, but I could get the seat belt fastened. I thought, hey, this is great....I FIT!!! A skinny guy sat next to me, he was really nice, asking me if I had enough room. I told him yes, and asked him if he did and he said he was fine. So that was a relief. The next little plane we took from St. Louis to Nashville, was a little 3 across seater. The belt was a little tighter, but fit and no one was next to me. That whole trip was fine but the trip back was a flippin' nightmare. We flew from Nashville to Chicago. I took the window seat this time but the belt I could hardly get buckled. We were delayed on that flight for an hour. Then from Chicago to Seattle, it was delayed 3 hours. That plane was the biggest and the worst. When we got our seat assignments, the guy saw my size, and put me in a seat where neither side would go up. So I was smashed in this tiny seat, with a seatbelt that closed only by smashing it around me, giving me indentions on my hands from trying so hard to get it fastened. That was the longest flight of my life. I was totally miserable and the turbulence was so bad, they told us to keep the seat belts on the whole time. I couldn't take it anymore so I took off the seatbelt and if the turbulence lifted me out of that seat I was crammed in, well, more power to it. Then they were showing "Hairspray" the movie but the little thing that you put in the hole to be able to hear thru the head phones was on the side towards my body, so I couldn't reach it in the first place, and then if I could of, it would of dug into the side of me. Not fun! Anyhow, we landed and we made it. No more planes for this gal til I lose more weight.

Otherwise, Jim and I are fine. We know that his dad wouldn't of wanted to lay in bed hooked up to oxygen. It was a lung disease he had, to where he couldn't take in oxygen unless it was more or less forced in. He was too active to be like that. We were just so thankful we got to see him before he left this world.

I stopped and talked to my son when we got back. Let's just say, things are not any better between us. He still doesn't see where he and Amy had done anything wrong and totally put the blame on me. All of us are to blame for what happened. At this point, I don't feel anything either way. I'm just sort of numb inside. I'm fine, but numb.

One good thing, I didn't gain any weight thru all of this. We sat at the hospital from 9 am til 9 pm everyday. We switched off sleeping at the hospital every other night just so someone would be close to him if he needed anything. With the plane incidents behind me, I'm more than ever committed to losing the weight. I don't ever want to have to go thru that again.

Ok, now I'll try to get some personals in.

Lindsay, I sure hope Muffin is going to be alright. Give a big hug and kiss from me to the poor furbaby.

Battle, congrats on the two pound lose! Hopefully they've gotten the plumbing problem under control by now. Sorry to hear about your friends moving away. It's hard when that support leaves, but I know that you can do this. You've done so well already, and it all came from within yourself. Just hang in there.

Story, congrats on the 6 lb loss. You are doing so well. Keep it up my friend.

Brandnewme, Sorry to hear about the pain your in. Good news on the job front though and even better that you enjoy it.

Hi MsCrockett, glad to see you return. Hopefully this time something will click and you will be able to lose again. Sounds like you did a great job the first time around so we all know you can do it again. We're here to help, anyway we can.

Hi Donna, Sharon, Heather, Catherine, Nancy, Deb

Annie, haven't seen the pics yet but can't wait!! What a great feeling that must of been!!! Thanks for asking where I was last week too..it feels good to be missed.

I also want to thank you all for the Christmas cards. I received most of them after our return from Kentucky, and it was just a good feeling to see all the cards. It really cheered me up, so thank you.

Time to go finish up shopping and get some packages mailed out.
Have a great day!
Debbie

Debbie -- My condolences on your FIL. It's hard to watch someone you love die...

As for the seatbelt, my condolences there too. I took so many flights when I was big and I remember wondering how in the heck I was supposed to plug the earphone things in. And I couldn't use the tray table. And the seat belts! *ugh* I did four flights to Asia when I was morbidly obese and hated them all. Feeling like I was crushed into a space for 12-14 hours is really not a good time. I got up every couple of hours to move and use the restroom. I was always relieved that I could at least turn around in those restrooms, if barely. Good motivation to lose!!

hello everybody just peeking in here . ive been rather busy with my hubby being in hospital than home for a week . i plan on being back here in full force after christmas. the good news is a will be using my new gazelle ridger whhen i get back to exercisng !

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling better now. I haven't exercised in a while because of my cold, but tomorrow I'm going to hit it hard. The eating has been better, but not great.

My kitchen sink is usable again, but they are still working on the problem. Now I have to get the landlord to clean the carpets because they are yuck, dirty from the dirty water that spewed everywhere. I hope they don't put up a fight about it.

Earlier I went to rehearse an act for my Rotary Club talent show on Thursday. Initially, I was reluctant to participate because I cannot carry a tune to save my life. But, hearing the other people in my group, I am no longer concerned. There are about 7 of us participating in the act. We are all located on the same street in the same business district, and the area has been dubbed "Rotary Row." There is me, the personal financial consultant, and then we have a chiropractor, dentist, contractor, art gallery owner, accountant, and public relations consultant. The dentist has a way with words and wrote the lyrics to the tune of We Wish You a Merry Christmas. My solo part is 4 lines, and that is a huge challenge for me--I can't memorize anything! Here are my lines:

When money's a chore, your coach I will be
I'll have you on a budget and not on a spree
I'll pay your bills and increase cash flow
I'll help calm your worries and make your wealth grow.

Here is the dentist's lines, which I think are a hoot:

I am the doc who treats teeth and gums
But first I inject you with good stuff that numbs
I clean out decay and get at the plaque
Your teeth should be white--not green, red or black

It was loads of fun rehearsing. I'll let you know how it works out on Thursday.

Personals will come eventually. In the meantime, hugs to Debbie.

Good Morning Everyone. Snowing here and gonna have some freezing rain,So for this morning I am home bound.

Debbie54~~Thanks for the thoughts, I need to make a goal of KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF! I just am working on the fact of I need to get to loosing weight then keeping that mind set, then at some point find the goal of keeping it off.. Weight Watchers appears to be the only one I can find at this time to show me Portion sizes.. I have never learned that in 36 yrs... I need to learn that and learn When I am hungry....

Well dears, I will be back sometime today.. Take Care all

Hello everyone,
It looks like I've caught the cold going around the world. It's just beginning, so hopefully, I'll be well part of the long weekend. Abby had the cold and it knocked her on her little butt. She's better now though. She was sick all weekend and Monday. The kids had a snow day Monday, cuz we got about 16" of snow Saturday night and Sunday. It was awesome!!!
SD is still being a pain. She keeps running her mouth. The life of a 16 year old, huh?
The bake sale went well, I didn't take any $$ so I had to be good. Last week we had a special lunch provided by our manager, I did well that time too. Our company party was Saturday. I wasn't horrible, but I wasn't wonderful either. The bad thing I had was these mini fried taco snacks. And, I had a brownie. I think the alcohol and the tacos were the worst.
Yesterday was our department carry in, it was breakfast. I was very naughty. One of my customers sent me a wonderful basket of various pistachios. They are my favorite nut! One of my sales reps sent me a box of those special round ball like chocolates. OMG were they good! (yes, sadly, past tense) She also sent a beautiful pair of ear rings, and a treat from bath and body works. The warmed vanilla sugar lotion and shower gel. I just LOVE that stuff.
I had my final dr appointment in Indianapolis Monday. This is the doctor that did my surgeries in the summer. All my parts are now where they belong, and everything has healed well. I am officially released. So, my personal womanly nightmare that started in April is now over. I'm so, so glad.
Sorry no personals, but things have been crazy busy. I've got lots of baking and candy making to do yet as well as 3 -4 sewing projects to get done by by Sunday too.
Take care everyone and I hope all are well. Hugs to all.

Good morning all,

Donna:

Crock: I think it is fine to wait until you are good and ready to work at loosing weight and getting healthy. If you don't wait until your ready it will just be a nightmare and depressing.

Debbie: so sorry to hear about your FIL. HUGS. I will pray that your little Sadie is fine. Silly girl. Sorry that the plane ride was so awful. Hopefully you won't have to do anymore flying for a while. Hugs to you on your son too.

Patti: I hope your Hubby is okay after his being in the hospital.

Battle: I bet you will rock the talent show!

Storey: Glad you are feeling better. I hope you get rid of all that stress real soon too.

Sandy: Hugs to you on this cold. I have been feeling better then get a bit worse. It stinks cause it is throwing a wrench in my exercise.

Well all, it is 8 a.m. and I am at work so I need to get going just wanted to check in with you guys. I am down 2 more pounds, won't change my ticker though until official weigh in tomorrow. I am sooo close to that 200 pounds mark! UGH! Hope you all have a wonderful op day.
Blessings,
Annie

MsCrockett: Try using a tennis ball to relieve some of the sciatica pain. When you are on the computer or sitting anywhere really, even in the car...put a tennis ball under yourself directly on the pain. I have my sciatica massage clients do the same in between visits...it really helps.

Wow – It’s been pretty quiet here. Is everyone busy getting ready for the holidays? I am sneaking in some time while the auditor is busy with something else. Let’s see how far I can get!

Annie – It can be hard when we aren’t feeling well not to exercise, but sometimes our bodies just need rest! Congrats on being down another two pounds. How did the official weigh in go?

Sandy – Sorry to hear you have a cold. I hope it goes away soon! I have been really lucky this year that no one has sent food gifts to my office. I think I would have a really hard time saying no to good pistachios too, although I am a pecan girl. It is nice that you got a couple of non-food items as well.

Crock – So you are doing Weight Watchers now instead of South Beach? It is really hard to get used to smaller portion sizes. There are a lot of good tricks though. A great book is Mindless Eating, which is all about how our brain perceives our fullness.

Story – You baking list sounds both heavenly and devilish at the same time. Please don’t get too stressed and make sure to do some fun things for yourself!

Battle – I bet you were smashing in the talent show. It seems like everyone has colds right now. I hope yours has cleared up enough to feel back to your regular self. I have a big issue with eating when I am sick because I have always looked at feeding as a form of self care.

Patti – I hope your hubby is ok.

Heather – I dream of being able to put that tray table down. I don’t think I will be flying for awhile, but when I do I hope I am there.

Debbie – Wow, what a lot of rough stuff to be happening right now. That is very difficult with your FIL passing during the holiday season and then the scare with your cat. Make sure to give yourself some extra TLC (and I don’t mean the Learning Channel).

Donna – Four accidents? Oh boy. I think it would be time to take the car away and go back to driver training.

As for me, I posted a pic on the pics page that I took last night. My family does a yearly holiday card that has turned into a pdf with each of us recapping our year and adding some pics. I wanted to be a bit festive so I put on my Christmas shirt and a bit of red lipstick. I then realized that one of my before pics (the one in my profile) was with me in that same shirt and lipstick, so I had to post it!

I got my new dance shoes and wore them last night. They fit, but feel rather strange. I am sure I will get used to them soon.

Also, I am down 2 more pounds this week. Now if I can just maintain until the New Year I will be ok. That is going to be tough, especially with our Christmas dinner being at my favorite Indian buffet.

Well, I better get back to work. Hope everyone is doing well and avoiding the minefield of unwanted holiday treats and practicing some merry moderation.

Nancy -- holy moly what a difference! Does that shirt swim on you now????

Good morning.

I updated my tracker. I offically have lost 3.5 pounds this week. 2 more to go
until I have lost 200!

Nancy: Congrats on the -2. You are doing so well. I looked at your photo and WoW. You look like a different person! Congrats hun.

Everyone be blessed,
Annie

ANNIE - The scale pics rock! Keep up the awesome progress. I was thinking of challenging you to a race to 250 or something - I get there first and you drive here to ride, you get to it first and I drive out there. Good thing I like driving - cuz you'd whip me, no doubt.

CROCK - welcome back! Mostly I lurk, but I love to see old friends, as well as new.

Chiming in today on the blood donation issue. I tried to donate about 27 years ago, but between my fear of needles, passing out and getting yelled at for it, and several other events that I'm SURE aren't part of the normal procedures, I haven't done it since. Until now. I gave platelets about 3 weeks ago, and that went really well. Heck - they let me watch a free movie while I was hooked up. Then yesterday I gave whole blood, in spite of the panting involved when they first put the needle in, and it went great. No dizziness or anything. The $20 gas gift card given by my employer & the meal donated by local McD's didn't hurt my feelings either!

SO, how much does a pint of blood WEIGH? The scale was down a pound and I'm hoping that wasn't the only reason.

Doing good diet-wise lately. I just got the word today that I'll be able to move all three of my (horse) boys back to a stable I boarded at for years. It will be such a load off my mind, and I won't lose 2-3 hours every single night to barn chores. I can do them voluntarily, but am not commited to stripping stalls & scrubbing buckets 7 days a week. I'll be able to actually RIDE more, visit here & post more, and even squeeze some housekeeping in. maybe. This year's been so insane, I have almost NO shopping done, no tree up for the first time in my life, and I'm tired all the time.

BUT, in spite of my schedule and the endless supply of goodies, I appear to be making a bit of progress on the weight lose front. I've been riding on the weekends at least, and GABE & I are making such wonderful progress. He's a major inspiration.

Best wishes to you all, for a lovely holiday season, and a successful and happy New Year!

Sorry I'm short on personals - I just hadn't posted in so long I wanted to touch base with you great folks!