G'day all,

What a lovely gift Ann, my father in law had a chair like that and the lift part was great regardless if you needed it or not!
How nice of Mike and Holly to think of you.

Nice to 'see' you Peggy and to hear all is well in your part of the world.

Thank you for the comments about my book. Yes it can be purchased but it is extremely expensive . It is an Australian firm so it would be even more expensive to ship it out to the UK or Canada.
To give you an idea...the finished book printed with a dustcover was AUS$245.00. To have the same book printed not using the software of the printing company would have been over $500, hence the change.
If any of you are interested, let me know and I will point you in the right direction.

At the moment I am finally doing the book of Saskia's first year, I am getting experienced and I am steaming along.
I will have it printed and it will be a gift for Joe and Lexie's Christmas.

Alan is off to Malaysia tomorrow. I won't be going this time, it is not my favourite destination and Alan is at work anyway.
He will return home on December 5.
I am not sure how I am going to cope with the 2 girls on my own on Wednesdays but I will give it a shot and see how I go.

Hope everyone is well and happy,

Cheers
Maria

Hi everyone;
Maria- I am havaing a problem sending you emails. The last five I sent have been returned and the reason given was rejected as spam. Is that anything you can fix from your end? I did reply to your newspaper column, and that was rejected. Then I copied the body of the letter, and sent that to you alone, and that was rejected. So now I don't know if possibly more of email with our address are not reaching you.

I don't envy Alan Malaysia. But I suppose since he is working he is in air-conditioned offices. I'm sure you will make out fine with your girls one day a week.

Peggy- I don't know much about the Bengals, but right now we aare all rooting for the Rays. They took so much abuse for so long. it is nice to see them up on top for a change. They deserve it, for sure. Are your colors bright? When we were north we were under the impression that all the colors were very pale, from lack of rain.

Time to go to curves and Phil to his special exercise.

Ann

G'day all,

Another weekend and it seems that Alan has already gone for many weeks when in reality it is just less then a week.
I am finding it a bit hard to settle this time despite the fact I have lots to do.
No doubt I will adjust again.

The company that has printed my American book have asked if I was interested in becoming a re-seller. What it means is that if someone would love to have a book done but is unable to do this themselves, I would do it for them.
It means I will have to revamp my website and do a few different books to put on my site as samples. I intend to do a book on football using David's (sons) photos, a wedding album and another holiday book. That should then give 5 examples with the 2 I have already done.
So lots to do!

I have been lying awake at night trying to come up with ideas as to how I am going to tackle all of this

I won't make any comments about the financial crisis or the presidential race, it is all just a nightmare and I cannot bear to read or hear about it at the moment, it is all to distressing.

I have once again decided to make a REAL effort and get rid of some of this
excess weight, will I ever shift some of this weight permanently
I have made a reasonable start and hope to have made a noticeable difference by the time Alan gets home in 8 weeks time.

Hope everyone is happy and well despite all the doom and gloom in the world today.

Cheers
Maria

Maria: I'm with you. I am not listening to the news anymore or reading anything more than the comics in the newspaper. I can hardly wait until all this election hoopla is over. I think in a way it is obscene the amount of money spent on T.V. ads that people are sick of hearing. It seems to me there are a lot better ways to spend money. A million dollars for one T.v. add is a little much.

It sounds like you are going to be very busy while Alan is away. How did you and the girls get along?

I am glad that maybe the email problem is solved.

Just looked at the time, and no wonder I am yawning. It is time to call it a day.

Hope y ou all have a lovely week-end.

Ann

Okay, girls, I am with you on the news. Occasionally I take a moratorium on the news in the best of times, but now I am glad to do this. I am so darned tired of campaigning! I record everything I watch and pass by every bit of the commercials.

Maria, I know you miss Alan, but seriously you sound so busy! And Dec. 5th will come quickly for you. I think I will pass on buying your book. Love you tremendously, but $245 is a bit steep. I would imagine that your little angels are fun and too good to be too much trouble. We had Austin (7) and Jackson (4) over the weekend. Their parents went to the OU-Texas game in Dallas. They are not true fans so when OU lost, they didn't much care. Did you all hear that OSU upset Missouri at home? Quite a day. Our biggest competitor lost and we won! Such fun! At least for a week.

I am so fat. I am taking an oath that I am going to stick to my plan and lose at least 10 pounds. I am starting to look like the Biggest Losers without my shirt. Yuck!

We are having the most gorgeous fall days here! Just sunny and clear and not at all hot. I love it! But you can feel a change in the air.

Ann, you are just blessed to get the chair before the lift is needed. Glad it is just a nice recliner. Maybe the lift part will never be needed. You know something? I think this aging thing with me has just recently become accelerated. My neck, my knees, everything some days just hurts! Hope getting off 10 pounds will help.

Have a great day!
Glenda

Maria: I am still getting your emails returned. I guess I am not on that white list as yet.

Well gals, who is going to get voted off tonight. I expect that it will be the chef, as he got such bad comments and for once Cloris was not so bad. But I can't imagine that she can survive another week. I do hope that I can do as well when i am 82, and be as limber. But I can't wear high heeled shoes!!

Glenda: I cannot imagine you even close to those folks on the biggest loser. But 10 lbs is a good idea. I am working on that again. right now, I have to lose the 4 all over again that I gained while on vacation. So far I am down 1. We'll just work at it together.

I was having more aches and joint problems than I thought was right, so i looked up side-effects of the simvastatin I was taking, and sure enough, joint pain, and leg cramps were listed. The Dr. had said if it gave me any problems to just stop it, so after 3 months I stopped it, and already I don't have so much joint pain. Glenda- maybe you are taking some med. that is causing your difficulty.

We are rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays. So far they have won two games and I sure hope they can win two more. I think they really deserve to be in the World Series. The ball club has taken a lot of ridicule over the years, and they are the 2nd lowest paid club in the American league. So I say, Go Rays!!

That is sort of like your team Glenda, beating their biggest rival. It sure is good for moral, and Tampa and all the surrounding area is really excited for the prospect.

I am making some progress on my quilt project, and now have to cut some more flowers to applique. "See" you all tomorrow.

Ann

Good afternoon!
Ann That is interesting about the Simvastatin. I am also taking that but I don't have any more joint pain than usual. I have knee problems when using the stairs but that is the arthritis talking. However, I will remember what you said and watch for any further developments. My girlfriend on the Cape has the chair you described and she loves it.
I believe you are going to the World Series as our Red Sox have just fallen apart the last few games. However, I will root for the Tampa Bay team if we don't make it.

Glenda We always look bigger to ourselves that to others. I have no doubt that you will be able to lose that 10 #'s. It may take time but all good things come to those that wait.

MariaOf course you are missing Alan. That is understandable! I hope the work you are doing and taking care of the girls will go a long way to making the time fly by!

Peggy You sound like me about the sports teams. Except for when we are in a playoff or something like that I can take it or leave it.


It certainly feels like fall here in the Northeast but we did have an exceptional Columbus Day and weekend. It has rained the last few years but this year was wonderful. We have followed a tradition for the last 20 years or so with the secretary and her husband from the office where Jack used to work. On the Sunday of the Columbus Day weekend they drive down from the other side of Boston and then we head off to Cape Cod. We have breakfast at the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich at the start of the Cape. After breakfast we drive leisurely down 6A which is the road least traveled. It has a great number of gift shops along the way and we manage to stop at most of them. I was very strong this year and didn't get anything for myself...I have no more room for knick knacks. However, Jack found a beautiful sun catcher for the living room window. It is quite large and it has three Cardinals in different poses. It really is beautiful.
After the ride we come back here and I had made some spaghetti and sausages and meatballs that I could just reheat with some garlic bread and a salad. It usually is an early night as they both had to work the holiday. I

I think I told you that last summer I got an IMAC computer and got their One to One year long lessons. I have been going once a week to the Apple store and am enjoying it and also learning a lot. For $100 you get 52 sessions which are individual lessons as well as they transferred all the info from my PC to the IMAC. They are just young kids but my goodness do they know their stuff.
Today I have been downloading a number of my cd's to ITUNES and now I can enjoy music as I play with the computer.

If nothing else it is keeping my mind going and I will not stagnate.

Gloria

Maria: I am still on the black list. It is very frustrating. I j ust want you to know that I do send things to you, but they all come back,.

Okay. How are all of you? There certainly is an air of gloom around here these days. Oklahoma seems to be rather lucky, kind of not as badly hit as some other places in the US by financial news. We never did have real estate that was so over-priced, but who knows what will happen to everyone.

I know we are all just sick of campaigning. It will go on thrugh ETERNITY! No doubt! I just want it over.

I don't know if I told you about my bathroom. Right now we are waiting for the tile and formica man to put that in. Then the plumber will put in a shower and sink and a carpenter will redo walls. Then we paint. Wouldn't you know how frivilous I feel for redecorating in the middle of the meltdown, but in our defense, it was because insurance was helping us with that big leak. Still feel guilty.

Maria, are you just busy with the kids and your job? I guess you should be getting into spring and summer about now. We are having some very cool days, but mostly just crisp fall days.

Well, hope all is well. This is the 4th day on program. I am hungry. I think it is nerves as much as hunger.
Glenda

G'day all,

Ann it is VERY frustrating and I will see what I can do about it from this end, when I check you are definetly 'whitelisted', I might have to ring them yet again

Glenda it is not just the real estate, we are ALL going to be effected one way or an other. You and Leon are lucky that you have secure jobs, we are already seeing job cuts made in the car industry. Both my kids have secure jobs so hopefully they will not be effected by the turmoil too much.
I don't know about your country but grocery prices are increasing just about every time you shop.
It is a very worrying and sad state of affairs.

We are having beautiful weather and my garden is looking a picture with everything blooming and green
Some hot weather forecasted for the weekend. I will be watching David play cricket at our beautiful Adelaide Oval, lovely sitting on the lawns under the trees watching a serene game of cricket!
I am re doing my website and offering a new service in the creation of books. I have had quite a few enquiries so I might as well add that to my services, something a little different from what I have been doing.
It will take quite a bit of time creating a few books as samples to be posted on my website.
Of course when I have something like this on the go, I get all this other work coming in, just bits and pieces but enough to interupt my day

I will never come here and say I am bored

Cheers
Maria

Wow! A whole new format? I had to log in once again. but I like the looks of the home page.

I haven't been around in a while either. Are we all just getting lazy, or what? I spent some time getting prepared for the 'dreaded colonoscopy' this week, and now am nervously awaiting the report on the polyps removed. So, Glenda you know the feeling.

Trudy: Nice to hear from you and i am sorry that you had the undesireable task of sorting out the quarrels. but just think you are earning a gold star.

It would be nice if I could maintain the weight loss I had after my prep. : But of course it was not to be. So back to the same old grind.

Gloria: how are you coming on your weight loss? You were doing so well.

Glenda: how are things going with your resolution to drop some lbs. again?

And I guess that question goes for all of us.

Maria: Are you using your Wii fitness? I think that should be really good, if it is anything like the other Wii games and exercises. Of course the Whooping cough probably hasn't been condusive to much exercise. Hope you are improving.

We have been enjoying some much needed rain for the past two days, but it does make for gloomy lazy days. Not much ambition. Can't go out and walk. So got busy with laundry (fun, fun) and the mundane things of life.

My quilt project is coming along nicely. My plan to to work on and get finished 10 blocks and then see how it will look, before I continue on the next ten.

Have a good weekend all, and keep the weight dropping off. Ann

Good Morning Everyone
its been a while since I was here since the Farmers market finished 2 weeks ago we have been busy getting the rest of the veggies out of the garden and rototilling in our compost , leafs and we still have to go to a friend of ours and pick up a couple of loads of well aged manure to put in We are battling the weather trying to get things done we have already had wet snow and may get more on tuesday and right it is cold damp and off and on rain

I will try to be better at posting more often things should settle down soon and we can start on our inside winter projects

Take care hope everyone is well Suz

Oh Suz- I hate the thought of snow already. I sure do hope that you can get all your garden preparation done before the snow comes in earnest. It is best done in the fall rather than the spring. It was nice to hear from you anyway, and maybe we will all get back here a bit more as we get involved in winter.

Hi to everyone. Ann

Just so you know my son said it snowed in Wisconsin today. BRRRRRRRRRRRR
We had a chilly start to our day in Florida, about 58 this morning.
Karen