Hey!
Cafe, was wondering about you. Glad you pop'd in.

I made a new soup recipe. Found it at dwlz.com site. Over there it's called Tam's Great Vegetable Soup. If I had to name it, I'd called it Italian Vegetable Soup. If you like that sort of thing, it's worth checking out. I added Italian season in addition to the Italian ready tomatoes.

The kids have early dismissal from school today. Mom's play day cut short.
Not much else going on. Anxious for Curves next week.
Later Taters!

Hola mi amigos!

I loved it at Curves. The one near me has a sign on the door, saying that due to popular demand they are opening at 6am. Like you Tig, I would love to go in at 9ish, however, also like you, ours doesn't have a place to watch kids. There in lies the problem , my youngest sister wants to go with me, which means she wouldn't be around to watch my rugrats, again . so I have been wracking my brain, trying to think of someone I can get. My other sister has a 5 month old of her own, so I don't want to ask her. what a pickle. I have an appointment on Wednesday to join....which I am still exited about. I kid you not, my thighs are STILL hurting from Tuesday!!

Wednesday, had an interview, which was a total waste of time. They wanted someone who could speak in front of hundreds of people, and unless I've had more than a few cocktails, that ain't gonna happen. Do ya think they'd let me work drunk? HA!

Jello, thanks for the info. I have been really, really, and I do mean really bad. Looks like I've gained 6 pounds, and it ain't coming off. They will weigh and measure me on Wednesday...I am so NOT looking forward to that.

Cafe: How ya been? missed ya!

We're having a b-day party Saturday for Lucas and Kaleigha so I have been trying to clean at least one room a day. Although today, I had to clean off the desk!! how can such a little space get so junky? I wish our computer wasn't in the livingroom. Oh well. I should just be thankful that we have one.

Well, DH is out tonight w/ his brother and I am so tired....so I think I'll just go hit the hay.

Night ladies.

It's Friday! And I have one very excited little boy at my house. He is having a friend ride the bus home and spend the night. Poor me Nah, hopefully it will all go smooth. My oldest will be gone all day Saturday, so that will make it easier. I'm going to rent a couple movies and video games to help keep them busy. Too bad it's so muddy out, there wont be any playing outside.

Dyan, going to Curves will be easy for me until the kids start summer vacation. Then I will be doing the scramble. Maybe they will grow up a lot before then and I will be able to trust the twelve year old to watch the seven year old without causing bodily harm.

I'll be back later to read ALL THE POSTS that are going to appear while I'm gone.

And *poof!* here I am! Hey, Tig, how'd you do that?

So TGIF everyone! It's been a rough one. I've been working 10 hours at least every day this week. So ready for the weekend. We were going to go get cabinets on Saturday morning and then Rich informs me that he'll be working all weekend. Well I ain't buyin' them by myself! (We get them really inexpensive at a sort of clearing house about 50-60 miles from here and cart them home.)

Meanwhile, I've been a good little weight watcher. Been counting every point and drinking gallons of water, etc. Going to Curves with an all new "gusto" too. I owe that to Tiger and Dyan who've been talking about it lately.

It's interesting. Sometimes all I need to do is come in here if I'm feeling weak or want to give up and listen to you guys. Gets me right back on track.

Well, another day has started so I'll go. Hm, only 9 hours or so until the weekend ... I hope. Now I've just got to find something to do with myself at home all alone. Do I see a paint bucket in my near future? Stay tuned....

P.S. Tiger, how's your little doggie feel about peanut butter cups?

*poof* Hey, I liked that. Let's do it again. *poof* Semo appears from the land of the lost...

Jello, my DH has to work Saturday too...only half a day, but it still feels like it ruins the weekend. Where are you putting new cabinets? I've requested a kitchen design kit in the mail from Lowe's, but it's been a week and it's not here yet. I'm gonna pick out all my dream stuff, have them shoot me a price and then probably drop a few malt balls.
You know, the boys were saying it looked like the dog had peanuts in her doody the other day...only boys would look.

*poof*

HEY HEY LADIES, I AM BACK! We had a great time at the shower and visiting friends.

Tig: THANKS for the great weather while we were up there. Didn't get nasty until we left Monday morning to come back home. How is the pooch? You know chocolate is poison to dogs so keep an on him/her. Sounds like you are going to do great at CURVES.

Dyan: The SCALES are NOT your friend. Don't obsess over what they say. Experts say we can have a 6 lb gain a day with the scales because of a variety of reasons so don't freak out. I am sure you are doing fine!

Jello: Darn, girl, why can't you go the first part of April? We will be there April 2-10 and are leaving Easter Sunday to come back home. Our son's wedding is Saturday the 10th. We leave 4 weeks from today for Vegas! WOOHOO! We are staying at the Orleans and got a pretty good deal. We also got some great airline prices so decided to fly instead of drive like our original plan which gave us 2 days extra on each end!

Susan: Sounds like you had a fabo time at the Quilt Fest!

Let's all put our heads together and commit to this March being our best ever! COMMIT COMMIT COMMIT!

I am going to the gym and using the treadmill twice a day and doing really well. I let my dd talk me into a Cystic Fibrosis walk here the end of May but it is 10 MILES!!!!! I told her I would do what I could do and that is the best I can do. Maybe 5 miles, but not 10 and not even 5 if it is all hills like the 3.1 one was. My hips and ankles were killing me by the time I finished.

My son and his fiance got some wonderful things at their shower, including a fridge for his pickup that plugs into the cigarette lighter. He was in hog heaven!

Oh, and I bought a swimsuit for the trip and got into a 20-22. I would have preferred 22-24 so the legs and armholes weren't quit so snug but part of it is it is a keyhole neck and I have never worn one of those. Only 2 1/2 months and our pool will be open for me to go back to water aerobics. I have a feeling we are going to have a killer summer as it is already in the 70's here fairly regularly now.

I need to go and get some work done. Check in later with you all!

Faye

Poof Here I am..... Have I mentioned that I HATE CORN SEED!!! We have been having some warm and dry weather (until Wed) and the farmers have been working like little bees, thus working me like crazy. I've not been on the internet because we have been having some virus trouble so "big brother" is keeping a close eye on us, and just too plain tried to get on at home after work. Anyway sounds as if everyone is doing good.
Since it rained DH and I are off to Nashville for the weekend, probably be the last chance until the next big rain.

Susan, I'm so mad at you, well not really.....mad at myself is more like it. I've just been setting here and you went flying by me and are now at what I want as my goal weight. Didn't realize that that light was you coming down the track. heehee Gotta get my butt in gear.... Very proud of you Gal! Glad you had fun at the Quilt show.

Nothing exciting to report, have a great weekend.

**poof!** Oh crap, that wasn't what I meant.

Hi everyone! What a great trick, Tiger. Can you make huntress show up?

March is a good month for getting on track around here. Been feeling really good the last couple of days. Even the several inches of wet, sloppy, heavy snow this a.m. didn't get me down. My new babysteps approach is feeling really good. Maybe I've learned something about myself? Time will tell.

Wow, guys, curves seems to be the phenomenon! Even people in my RL have been talking about it left and right. Going to have to actually look for one in the 'hood.

Dyan - missed you too! It's great to have you around again. I'm doing good. Life has been pretty NORMAL for me, which I appreciate.

Thrilled to see all of you - I wish I had more time to type individual messages but my (((hugs))) will have to do. Have a great weekend, all!

I HAVE MAGIC POWERS!

Faye, I was worried about the dog/chocolate. But she seems fine. It was one of those cartons of malted milk balls. She's a runt and wish I could have seen her drag it off. She chewed the corner off the box, but didn't actually eat all the malt balls. Anyway, she's ok and she's on a diet now!
You lucked out with the weather. Wind advisory today, lots of rain and chance of snow this weekend. Indiana.

Cafe, I liked the ALL women aspect of Curves. There were women all shapes, sizes and ages when I went. Not real thrilled about being weighed and measured.
I haven't been on a scale in front of another person in ages. Last time I was measured was for a bridesmaid dress in the 90's.

Semo, cornseed. Makes me want to use theses...
....that last one is a lamb.

Oh, lamb...that reminds me. I bought Easter Clings to put on my door. Gonna get that done before the boys get home.

Uh, what's the Michelin man doing on a farm...???

Oh, it's a lamb! Oh I get it.

Well, guys glad to hear from all of you. I just love it when this board is busy. Faye, glad you had a good time. Dyan, ditto what Faye said about that scale. And, oh great and magnificent Tiger, please make me thin!

... come on, come on.... Don't leave me out here all fat and stuff....

Oh well, one can only do so much, I understand.

Have an hour to go until the weekend. Oh and I did think about the chocolate not good for dogs thing but I seem to remember my guy eating half a box of chocolate Exlax once. Yeah, I know the chocolate in that's probably artificially flavored but I had other things to worry about with that one, obviously. BTW, didn't phase him one bit. Iron constitution that mutt has!

Gotta run. Things to finish up and then off to Curves. Then maybe the video store. It's a gray, foggy evening already. Have a great weekend all!

Old Man Michelin had a farm ... E I E I O....

A new month! I don't know if that makes me happy or sad....or just plain frustrated.........2 months into this New Years Resolution thingy and I have lost 12 pounds......and gained 12 pounds! I have been really in the dumps over this......then I read all your upbeat posts and am ready to give it another go. I know exactly what I'm doing wrong......too much eating the wrong thing and not exercising enough......sounds like the same old song, doesn't it? Now.....got to break this cycle.

The good news is DH went to doctor this week and doctor has finally convinced him that his diabetes is real and needs attention......his readings aren't all that high now, but need to be lower so as not to cause problems in the future. DH actually came home and asked me for input into a diet regimen! Looks like I will have a live-in diet buddy!

The rest of the week went.......well, it went. Some demented person hacked into my puter.....took down the firewall and fixed it so I couldn't put it back up......then set themselves up as a user and had a party! Lucky for me I am married to a puter wizard who has spent the last 3 days scrubbing and reformatting and updating.......and, hopefully, I can keep this machine on the straight and narrow from here on out!

Enough of this whining.......and heres hoping the next post will have a more positive spin on it!

So we had the birthday party yesterday, and I am so glad it's over. I think everyone had a good time. The kids loved all their presents, but now I have to go through and see which ones they get to open and play with. With our move seeming like it's just around the corner, I don't want to have to repack all their toys. Cheyenne got ALL her toys taken away, about a month ago. I was so mad at her! It me hours and hours to clean her room. I couldn't see the floor, literally, and when I did I was pissed . There was food on the floor and empty wrappers hidden behind her entertainment center (They aren't allowed to eat in their rooms), boy o' boy was I ready to hurt her. There were cookies on the floor, chewed up and spit out food (from her 2 year old sister) and it was just gross. So before I even went in her room I told her that I was packing up all her toys, and she was like "You mean my room's going to be clean?" She could have cared less that I was taking all her toys. So at anyrate they are all packed in the garage and ready to be loaded into the moving truck. I think I mentioned before that we are moving to Utah. DH is leaving next weekend , and the kids and I are going to hang out here until the end of May. I so do not want to be a single mother of 4, ages 5 and under. Kaleigha and Lucas are the trouble makers. So far, they took all mine and DH's socks and threw them in the toilet in our room. A few days later it was toys in their toilet. Then just the other day it was hair things (scrunches, etc...) followed by Cheye dropping a log in the middle of it all!! HELP .

Hey all! Monday Funday.

Dyan, you always crack me up with tales of your kids antics. I know it's not funny to you, tho... apologies. The first thing I thought is that your kids are flylady boogying for you. Wasn't it you who posted her website a long time ago? (flylady.net?) Somehow, our minds work better with less stuff around? Chey and me both, anyway! It's still hard for me to go into cupboards and sort/declutter (bleh! who wants to.), but not having the surface clutter I used to makes me SO much saner. I don't miss anything. I'm excited for you & your move. New beginnings so inspiring.

MsRD - good for you! hop right back on the horse. that's all we can do.

Jello - your poor, poor dog. LOL! You would think they'd learn from these experiences?

Tiger - Tape measure, yikes! I did that a year ago, or maybe a bit more? My policy: as long as I don't have to really look at the numbers, they can write them down. I know that stuff is supposed to jump start you but it makes me want to bury my head in the sand?? But we women can do anything for the greater good.

Well, It is snowing like crazy here. Visibility about 1 block when I look out the window. That is, I can't see the buildings 2 blocks away. But the snow doesn't even phase me because winter is almost over. How do you like that?

Hey Girls
I had to pick youngest son up from school early today. He's sick. I'm in panic mode...if he doesn't go to school tomorrow, I can't go to my Curves appointment. He has temp, running nose, sore throat and a headache. On top of that, I sorta let this weekend turn into another "last supper" since I knew I was starting Curves this week.
I've been trying to teach myself WW and I wouldn't even want to guess how many points I inhaled. I can't count that high.

Dyan, my kids aren't allowed to eat in there room either. But somehow wrappers appear in the bottoms of drawers and toy containers. Little Devils.

MsRD, I think it's great you will have your DH as a healthy lifestyle partner. My DH is still in denial that he needs to eat healthy and it really throws a kink in my plans.

Cafe, we have a light dusting of snow. On the bright side, it covers the mud!

Jello, did you rent any good movies? I had kid movie weekend...School of Rock and Good Dog. Nothing to brag about, but watchable.
Have you been sticking to your points? Do you do a good job figuring points for homemade dishes? Old casserole and soup recipes...I need to dust of my brain and try to calculate them.

Sir Owen beckons from the couch...Nurse maid runs to his side...

Rejoice with me, my dear friends! I was ... wait for it .... GOOD this weekend!!! A first for me!!! I'm so darn tickled with myself, I'm obnoxious about it. Yay me!

See?

I behaved this weekend. I ate good stuff, counted points, kept the "VFW count" to one light beer and much diet coke. I got on my treadmill every day. I went out to breakfast on Sunday and placed a special order - egg white omelette with onions and peppers and mushrooms and dry wheat toast so I could use just a little jelly. Ate only half of the hash browns. Grand total for breakfast was 5 points. And how do I know this? Well, I just whipped out my WW points journal thingie in which I'd written it all down. Oh I'm so smart and so very clever, an absolute genius!

OK, I'm done. Sorry. Ooh, but look at the new smilies! Just gotta use this one ... Too cute.

Tiger, sorry to hear kiddo's sick. Hope it doesn't stop you from your appt. at Curves. BTW, I didn't get to rent any movies this weekend. Just did a little stuff around the house instead. Funny, didn't seem to get much accomplished anyway.

Cafe, keep the snow out your way, would ya? We were supposed to get some of that slushy snow/rain mix but the sun's out now. It is awfully cold though. My poor little flowers are getting all confused.

MsRD, sorry to hear of your 'puter troubles. Kinda scary what one computer geek with nothing better to do can do. Also sorry you're struggling with this old weight loss thing. Been there. Done that. Wish I had a magic answer for you.

Hm, maybe ask the magical Tiger!?!?

Dyan, sometimes your posts read like the script of a new TV sitcom. Hang in there girl!

Well, I gotta run. No I mean I really gotta run. All that water, you know. I hope this latest run of success lasts ... at least through tomorrow night's weigh-in....

Oh, just one more time .... Oh just too cute!