Just a quickie, as the weather has been so good here, until today, sigh, I have been watching my sons playing down the garden. I can't leave them for a minute, they fight, pull up flowers or find dirt to throw at one another, so I've not been on the pc or done much housework. Today is catch-up day.
Lori, I remember you and it must hurt that the teacher never considered that your son was lying or thought to contact you first. I know about kids with problems, my oldest son has anger/behavioural probs & my middle son is Autistic, I really admire you for 'choosing' your kids, I would never have had kids if I knew they were going to be like this. Be strong and know we are all thinking of you & sending you love.
Julee, it is such a pain when people are being weird/jealous/selfish, we had a massive wedding, my two sisters and my two neices were bridesmaids. I am the oldest of three girls, my youngest sis did whatever I needed, except she requested 'no frills or puffy/fussy dresses', which I would never do anyway, my middle sis, mother of my neices moaned about everything, couldn't make the fittings, and to cap it all I was late for my own wedding as I HAD TO GET HER DAUGHTERS READY on the day!!!! My poor dad had to lace me into my dress, he was so embarassed !!! My hubby wanted to go abroad, at times I wish we had . BUT there are so many things which if planned down to the last detail, go smoothly and you will be suprised how help, support & love come from unexpected, but wonderful places. Try to relax, if you have two fantastic bridesmaids, its surely better than six surly/ jealous/moaning ones.
Ammi, I am ok, thanks for your concern. I have put a new version of beta up, (which really messed up my internet connection for some reason it kept wanting to work offline ) hope you have updated too so we can 'chat' later.
Sorry about not replying to everyone, I will try & catch up tomorrow.
I have to go now, my tummy seems a bit better so I am off to exercise.
xxxsharon

good morning! Ammi i have stayed away from the scales this weekend but am soooo tempted to take a peek!

Hi Everyone!

Well, my weekend is almost finished again. They just rush by SO quickly. Yesterday was mostly a shopping day, as usual. Groceries, then wandering and window shopping. I actually refrained from buying any more clothes. I impressed myself! We did get a slow cooker. I’ve never had one before, but have heard only good things about them, so I decided that I’d give it a go. I really do NOT like cooking and this sounds like I can just throw lots of stuff in and leave it to do its own thing. That is MY kind of cooking. Today we made chicken and veggie soup. We kinda looked at a recipe that came with the cooker, but only for a couple of amounts and the time. I am not used to having lots of flavouring added to my veggies, so I didn’t need to add all sorts of herbs or whatever. I mainly got the cooker so that I could make soups without salt. I am tired of buying cans of soup and then putting weight on afterwards because of all the salt. All I added to this one was pepper. I LOVE pepper. Other than that it was just one chicken breast, onion, carrot, celery, peas, corn, green beans, cabbage and water. It smells delicious, so I hope it tastes as nice. It made LOTS, so I am planning on freezing a few containers and it should last me a couple of weeks.

Yesterday we also went into the city for a wander. I enjoy walking around the city centre, just to window shop and also to ‘people watch’. You get some interesting people in the city.

Today we started at the markets, buying LOTS of fruit and veg, then we went to the zoo for a wander and to take more photos. The zoo is just the other side of the river, so we walked along the river for 40 minutes after the zoo. It was a cool, but lovely clear day, so the walks at the zoo and along the river were just beautiful.

Other than that I haven’t done a lot today. I SHOULD have been doing lots of housework, but ummm… it just didn’t happen. I am SUCH a bad housekeeper. Luckily hubby is OK with that, or I would have been divorced long ago. The house is usually ‘neat’, but not as clean as it should be.

I’m trying to remember things I wanted to comment on, but I am sure I’ll miss some things, as my memory is BAD and I don’t think I can go back through all the posts that have gone by since my last individuals. I don’t think I’ll get them finished before bed anyway, but I’ll try my best.

Ammi – I used to have the same problem under my tummy, but (touch wood) haven’t had it for a while, even though I still have a pouch of skin. When I showed my doctor she said that the best thing for it was fresh air. So I used to lay on the bed, in my ‘birthday suit’ and ‘air’ it for a while each day. I’d just read a book and move around so that all parts got some air. It really seemed to help. I used to use baby powder as well, but I think the ‘airing’ did the best job. I have a little redness today, but I think that is because I have worked out a little more than usual, and got a little warm. I’m hoping it isn’t the old problem coming back. Oh… and I used to spend most of my time around the house without knickers on, but now I wear knickers all the time, except in bed. I wear full briefs, so that keeps my tummy up and away from the other skin. I think that is helping a lot too. I hope you get yours sorted out, because I can remember how frustrating it used to be – and ITCHY! I used to have a similar problem under my breasts (I know… too much information thank you Zelma) but I ‘aired’ them as well, and wear a bra around the house now, where I used to go ‘braless’ around the house before.

Lori – As a teacher, I can understand the people HAVING to report what your son said, but over here, we have to report to the principal and THEY report it on from there. I would think that they would have to have a really good reason to go above the principal’s head and still report you, after he/she had said not to. I think I would talk to them and find out what made them do that. Seriously, the ‘buck stops’ with the principal here and even though we CAN go over his head, I would only consider that as a final resort if I was pretty sure that he was wrong about not reporting it.
I hope you don’t have something like this happen again. It is pretty bad that you can’t work with children for so many years, especially if the accusation was found to be false. Wouldn’t you need to be ‘charged’ before something like that happened?

Xena – From the sounds of it, just leaving the Princess to her own devices and watching her drown isn’t an option, or I’m sure you would have considered that already. If she doesn’t do her work, is it more work for you because it affects YOUR job, or just because you like to see a job well done. If it is the latter, perhaps you should just bite the bullet and sit back and put up with it. She may have to make some major mistakes, or not do her job at all, before someone notices and decides that she shouldn’t be there anymore. It must be frustrating for you, when you are doing your job and have to watch someone getting paid to do nothing.

Sharon – If you are inside today because of the bad weather, does that mean that your boys have something else to occupy themselves, so they don’t ‘destroy’ each other, or is it just that you can hide away and hope that they don’t do anything TOO bad if they are inside? I hope they behave well for you so you can have a more relaxing day.

Julee – I am SO sorry about the wedding plans not going as smoothly as you would like. I used to wish I’d had a big, flash wedding, instead of the small, VERY private one we had. But hearing so many people talk about the problems they had, I think I’m satisfied with what we did. I hope that your replacement choice accepts the offer and turns out to be wonderful. I think it may be wise of you to drop that other one from the wedding party. I know it will be difficult, but she could end up ruining your day for you, and if there is any way of avoiding that I would take it. She doesn’t sound like the easiest of people to get along with. Still, you also mentioned how hard it would be to get a replacement for her as well, so it sounds as though you are between a rock and a hard place as they say. Good luck!
Oh, and I am VERY impressed that you worked out your frustration at the gym. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been an emotional eater, but I was and I know how wonderful it felt to finally get my stress out through exercise instead of turning to food. I hope you felt great afterwards.

Nancy – My mum has had knee replacement as well, although she was over 70 when she needed it. I have a feeling that I will always have some kind of problem with my knees, but I am also hoping that exercising will help that. My knee is good again today (touch wood) so I have hopes that I can continue jogging as long as I build up to longer distances instead of rushing into things, which I usually do. I have been doing the little exercise, which hopefully help as well.
Good luck with your ‘money talk’ with Andrew. I am pretty lucky with Neil that way. Not that we are any good with money, but we are BOTH bad! Well, not really bad. We still manage to save a little, and we always have enough for the bills, and we only have the house mortgage and one personal loan. We are not in dire straits by any means, but could certainly do better. We tend to just buy things as we need them, rather than wait for special occasions. Then, when it comes to birthdays, Christmas etc, we have to buy extra things because we already have the stuff we planned on getting for those times. Oh well… maybe we’ll get out act together one day.

Cyn – Sorry about the allergy turning into a cold. I have had a couple of colds over the last year or so that started out just like a REALLY bad allergy attack, but turned out to be colds NOT allergies. Perhaps you have not actually had an allergy attack, but it was the cold all along, just building up. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Brenda – I really look forward to hearing about your scrapbook weekend when you have time to post. I hope you had a wonderful time. I wish I could get into scrapbooking. It really sounds like something I would enjoy, but I don’t think I have the time to do it justice at the moment. I got a scrapbook to put our holiday stuff in from last year and it still isn’t finished. I figured the other day that I will just leave it until Sept/Oct, which will be the first anniversary of our holiday and I’ll do it then. It will be nice to relive the trip then.

Maria Lucia – Did you get to spend some time with the daughter of your ex? It sounded as though it meant a lot to you to be able to explain things to her, so I hope you get that opportunity soon. Sorry to hear that things are still bad in that area, although I suppose nobody can be expected to recover from a long-term relationship breakup that soon. Give yourself time and hopefully the pain will ease. I’m SO glad that you have such a good therapist. It sounds as though you have a good relationship with her and lots of faith in her abilities.

Elaine – Sorry to hear about your boyfriend’s MS. That must be SO hard for you both to deal with at times, but he is very lucky to have you with him. Is it possible for you to both go out somewhere OTHER than to dinner in the evenings? I’m sure you’ve thought of that already, but it may help if you are finding that you are eating out too often. Mind you, I suppose it wouldn’t be easy going to some places if your boyfriend needs help getting around. I can’t even make suggestions for where you could go, because I don’t know what is around you that has easy access. At least you are making better choices when you do eat out, so that should help in the long run.
You must have the energy of a couple of people put together to do all that you do. I take my hat off to you. To also be working on making changes to make yourself healthier, is HIGHLY commendable. That takes a lot of time, patience, commitment and inner strength. You obviously have good doses of all of those.

Luan – It sounds as though life is treating you pretty well at the moment. I’m glad you are still enjoying your latest course, even though the teacher isn’t the greatest. Well done on doing SO well at your job! It may not be your dream job, but at least you are doing well there, which shows your commitment.
Do you know what the next course is in your training? Aging and scars etc would be fun! The first part you did with makeup would be fun too, but I’d be forever wanting to experiment on myself. I find myself buying WAY too much makeup lately.

Valerie – Great to see you again! Yep… the holidays seemed to go by WAY too quickly. Still, only 9 more weeks until the next lot. Isn’t that sad, that I am counting down until the next break already. I truly do have a wonderful group of kids, but I am tired of being tired, and with the weather getting colder I have a feeling that I am just going to get even more tired. I really must get that checked out.
I hope we hear more from you when you get time.

Well everyone, sorry that I missed people out, but I must get to bed. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Take care,

Zelma

Hello,

Here I am again, refreshed after my old lady midday nap. I might get used to the early mornings and not need the naps after a while, but for now, they aren't doing me any harm, so why not enjoy them. I woke up and had some of the chicken and mushroom risotto I made last night, and it was even tastier today.

Sharon - happy to see you posting, I just wish I could wave a magic wand to get your boys to calm down a bit. You should be able to actually relax in the garden to enjoy the sunshine, not be constantly watching the boys. Still, just think when they are both in school full time you will be able to get a bit of peace and quiet then

Patti - Be strong and move away from the scales!! You know what you have to do, you have to take the batteries out of your scales, or take the plug off, do what you have to do, then give the batteries/plug to somebody with the strict instructions that until you weigh on Friday they are not to give them back to you. Not even if you beg. Now of course you could always go buy more batteries or a new plug, but do you really want to do that

Zelma - glad you had such a nice day yesterday. Would you do all that window shopping and walking around at the zoo before you lost all your weight. Or is this something you can enjoy so much now, and yet another reward to you for losing all your weight?

How did your soup turn out that you made in your new slow cooker? I have to have a bit more salt in my diet than the average person because of my ostomy, so I am ok sticking with the tinned soups. Though in the winter I do like to make huge pots of vegetable stew, far more filling and less calories than the tinned stuff.

Thanks for your input on the tummy thing. Oh yes mine itches like mad especially at night. Daren even bought me a exfoliating brush so that it would be more gentle for scratching than using my nails. I could scratch myself raw sometimes. Whether I wear knickers or not, I still have my tummy over hang, although somebody did suggest that I wear two pairs of knickers, one lot to go under the belly and the other to go on top as normal. I do need to wear big briefs, not just because of my huge belly, but because of my ostomy pouch. It keeps it all snug and secure. Airing my belly lol, I used to try to do that to help my surgical wound heal. Problem is that just lying on the bed doesn't let the air get to it, I need to physcially be holding my belly up, which is ok at short intervals but not for the long periods of time needed. Under my boobs get sweaty, but touch wood no itchiness or anything, so I still go braless around the house. It's bad enough having to wear them when I go out. I look forward to all that changing when they have shrunk in size and bras can be more comfortable. Thank you again for your help, I will try the airing as much as I can. What a lovely sight for Daren to see mind you he has cleaned and dressed all my surgical wounds, in all areas lol so he has seen far worse

Still got emails to do, so off I go again, see you all later,

Hugs,

Ammi

Good Morning Girls..


I will be touching on some personals later on today,, kinda hard to do with a 4 yr old around your neck...LOL...
Ammi~ Nascar was on last night, A night race at Richmond Virginia,, so I am freed up today,, I will , later on start studying for my Keyboarding II Final that is tomorrow, I need to write a 10 page report on torture, and then Study for Math Finals.. I think I wont even try Math, and just take it this summer, I have retained NOTHING out of that class.. NOTHING!,, the scales showed a 1 lb loss, I dont think I will add it on to the three reported on Friday, I may keep it for the next week loss,, but that would make 4 lbs.. which I can see that , as I have been with the 4 yr old Since Wed... and I can see a pound coming off due to activity.. Not sure what to do with that pound,, Take Care All

Lori -To say you are having a rough patch would be an understatement to the extreme! Bless you for taking these children into your home. I hope everything sorts itself out soon.

MariaLucia - I hope you are able to feel better about the break up soon. As a divorced person I know it is difficult and it is certainly not made easier by seeing each other everyday at work.


Ammi - For me the yeast infection was like scaly skin and maybe a little whitish. Like you describe, it didn't matter how much I washed it the scales wouldn't come off. I never actually went to the doctor to be diagnosed as yeast infection but I went and bought anti-fungal spray which caused it to start clearing up almost immediately. The spray was the kind that most people use to clear up athelete's foot, which also is a fungal infection. When your skin stays moist and in the dark all the time, it is a breeding ground for this type of thing. I'd give the spray a try and see if that doesn't help clear it up. Good luck! I know how uncomfortable it is.

Sharon - It does sound like a lot of work keeping two boys in line. I don't have any kids myself and I am not entirely certain I could handle it. Not that I don't like kids, but after living my entire adult life with peace and quiet I am not sure I could adjust to kids.

Zelma - I love my slow cooker. I really should use it more than I do, especially in the summer time because it doesn't make the house hot the way the oven does. As for The Princess situation, it is partly that I want to see the job done right and partly because if she doesn't do her work timely and correct it will affect me and other in the accounting department. Each month as we close books, it is a several step process and different people are responsible for different steps. If one person gets behind or screws up, it messes everyone else up who follows them. I guess that is what is so annoying to me. All of us in accounting work so hard and work long hours and just do what it takes to get our work done timely. This includes NOT scheduling days off right in the middle of the close cycle. It is just part of being an accountant. And it sticks in my craw that the rest of us have to suffer for her lack of committment. As to how she got hired there...that is anyone's guess. Or why she stays....welll, all I can say is my boss fought hard to get her there when a couple of other people were against hiring her. I think if she fails he thinks it will make him look bad and so he does whatever he has to do to protect her. That's just my opinion though.

Crock - A 10 page report on torture?!?!? Sounds interesting in a macabre sort of way. What class is it for?


As for me, nothing much exciting to report for today. I am going shopping to try to find something decent to wear to dinner tomorrow night. We are having dinner at an upscale steak place tomorrow night with our board of directors at work. I dread it. I don't like mixing and mingling at this weight and I certainly don't like shopping for clothes! Then there is the food itself. My plan is to avoid the appetizers, wine, and dessert. I figure if I just stick with a steak, some veggies, and a salad, all won't be lost.

Take care everyone.

Xena~ It is for English 101,,

Ammi, You had asked if I gained alot of weight since being with my BF, well let me say I've put on more but not alot since being him. I've been pretty overweight for alot of years. At least my BF doesn't harp on me about my weight. Although this is the first time he has said something since I joined Weight Watchers this time, that he will be upset with me if I don't continue mainly because of my health.

I've been having alot of heart palpatations and have been to see a Cardio Doctor. I go next Friday for a stress test than the Tuesday after that an ultrasound and I have to wear a heart monitor for 24 hrs. believe. Besides being overweight I smoke too! Don't know if I could do both at the same time.

Zelma, Yes at times it can be pretty rough going to work than helping my BF but, I loves him. Once I do get some of the weight off it will hopefully be a little easier on me physcially. Zelma can I ask you how you got your pictures onto your posting. I may look at doing that in the future.

Well, must go now if I missed anyone sorry I will look closer next time so I don't forget anyone.

All the best.

Ammi so far so go on the scales !!how did you like American Idol this week?

Xena - I hope you manage to find something you like to wear for the meal out tomorrow night. Good on you for planning on watching what you are going to eat, cutting out dessert, alcohol and the appetizers. I am still at the stage where I would just say, well I am out, let's enjoy it to the full, and I would eat like a pig. I need to learn to get a handle on that so that I realise I can go out for a meal but it doesn't mean I have to over eat.

Thank you for explaining more about the yeast infection, it does sound just like what I have. I will still ask the doctor to have a look so that she can prescribe me some of that spray. If I get it on script then I don't have to pay for it. I always said that I don't want more surgery, but honestly, if I lose all the weight I need to then I really would love to have a tummy tuck. I am fed up of having an overhang, be it a fat belly, or the sagging skin after dieting. I want a flat tummy please

Elaine - I am happy to hear that you have a lot of support from your BF to help you lose weight and that you have his full encouragement to go to WW. I am sure he is worried so much about you especially as you been having palpatations recently. I hope all goes ok when you see the cardio next Friday, and again when you go for your ultra sound and then have to wear that heart monitor the week after that. Hopefully if it's all related to your weight then it will all improve, and go away as your weight comes off.

Patti - for your willpower keeping off the scale! I have the opposite problem, I don't want to get on the scales tomorrow, help!!

I really enjoyed American Idol last week, Taylor was amazing, I think he is brilliant even when he does that nutty dancing I loved Elliots songs as well, now if only he had a bit more personality I think he would have far more chance of getting into the final. I am glad that Paris was voted out, but now I am going to dread every week because I like all the people that are left and want them all to win!! I didn't hear what the next genre of songs are going to be for them, do you know?

Bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Nancy~ Taking care of your car is like eating healthy,, we and the car will live longer.. ya know what i mean?


Patti~ Glad to hear you are refraining from the scales.. that is a bad habit to break,,

Cyn~ I have a cousin that lives in Pheonix... never been there but want to go and see the indian aztecs..

Julee~Glad to see your chin up in the last post, I had a comment for the previous, but I will keep it, as you are doing better,,,, Best of Luck and I am sending good vibes your way.

Ammi~ How is it going dear? when do you weigh in?

Lori~ I am sending good vibes your way to you and your Son..

it is tough but for my own peace of mind i will stay off them til friday! Ammi i was glad Paris was voted off too she was starting to get on my nerves.. i still want Taylor to win strange moves or not!

Finally back from the nifty weekend I had, and decided to play a little game of catch up…don’t wanna miss TOO much now


Zelma – Good to see you, even if it’s only a fly by night, sorta thing! I hear ya about the knees after jogging. Granted, I haven’t been jogging as much, but I’ve been adding it in, and boy is it HARD. I probably shouldn’t even be TRYING it at 290 pounds, but I just can’t help myself sometimes!

Ammi – That’s my problem. I know I shouldn’t do it, and believe me, my friends are always like, “you shouldn’t say things like that”, or “don’t be so hard on yourself”…but in High School, that’s what I did so that no one else would make fun of me (or at least not as much)

Luan – Good to see you! Bridesmaids makeup…I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job! You’ll have to show us some of your work!

Julee – Thanks…he was recommended to my by my Psychology teacher, as they are good friends. I’m glad I’ve started to go….I just hope it HELPS. Hope you have FUN at the bridal shower! I’ve never been to one…no one I know is getting married yet. Oh man…that woman sounds like a royal pain, but I think that’s a good idea…if she causes a ruckus or doesn’t show up, I think that entitles you to kick her out. Sorry your good friend can’t make it. Money sucks.

Val – You’ve returned!!!! So GOOD to see you posting! I hope I’m surprised to. It would make my YEAR if I got a C in that class! Lol

Dogpal – Yes, you need to get a pic of you PRONTO! If I have one, EVERYONE should have one! Lol

Nancy – You know, I didn’t even know that your b/f’s name was Andrew…they’re good ones, aren’t they?

Lori – Hi there…don’t think I’ve talked to you yet. Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate. I wish you the best of luck with everything, huh




Weighed in this morning, and after being at 295 (again ) for two weeks, I’m back down to 290. Whew.
This weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday night, my friend Ashley came over, and we rented a couple of movies. Watched Brokeback Mountain, and Flight Plan. They were both really good. Although Brokeback Mountain made me cry. Showed me how powerful denial can be
Went mini golfing with Andrew on Saturday, and he beat me by THREE strokes! LOL…it was all in fun, though, and I definitely had some. My friend Jason is manager at the McDonalds that I used to work at, and he said that he was so proud of me for sticking to my diet and exercise, that he grabbed the 4 workout dvds that McDonalds gives out with salads…it’s the little things that put a smile on my face! Hehe
Saturday evening, Andrew and I went out to Silver Beach (right on Lake Michigan). There was a festival going on, that I completely forgot about. But we walked about the mile and a half down to the end of the pier, and watched the sunset, and got some GORGEOUS pictures. I love Lake Michigan in the evening. Then, we walked back.
Today, we went to another park around here, and went on the 2.5 mile hiking trail (their longest one). It was really nice, and I got loads of exercise this weekend.

Enjoy

Beautiful pictures of the lake, Kayley. Where do you live to be near it? I live in TX, but am originally from Iowa. I always thought if I ever wanted to live in the Midwest again, I'd move to Chicago. I imagine having this fabulously active city life on the shores of the lake. Of course, I am not thinking about the winters. I loved Brokeback Mountain too. I plan to buy it on DVD for one of my 5 pound rewards.


I did find something to wear for tomorrow night. I wouldn't say it is LOVELY, but it will do. It's just a black and white patterned top that I plan to wear with my black pants. I am sure my co-workers will be like, "Oh, Lord, she's wearing the black pants again?!?!?!" Oh well, this is the best I can do for now.