Happy, you are so right! It is wonderful coming home and having dinner already prepared! One reason I also like crock pot cooking. Of course, like you, I'm just glad to have her here. She is such a loving, warm, "mom" presence in the home. I wish she'd stay with us year 'round, but she'd miss her other kids and her grandkids that live in California. How long will your mom be staying with you?

Los Angeles used to be much more polluted than it is now. Unfortunately Silicon Valley is often even more polluted than LA. It's really gross when you fly into San Jose, CA and see the brownish orange sky. Yuck.

Your froggie kitten is just so cute! I can't get over it. Makes me smile each time I see it. Thanks!

Hello Ladies,

Shad - Do you want us to send you some food? I love to travel, but I need to be prepared on where i go. I can't eat spicy, don't like much fish..I can do veggies, rice, pastas... etc.

Diyana - Sounds like you have got your routine down. No wonder your losing the weight. I hear ya about the prices. I'm single and i've noticed a increase in my budget. I don't see how families can afford food. I take the train into downtown, so I only have to drive about 16 miles roundtrip which is good cause I have an explorer.

Happy - your dinner sounded wonderful. Oh, and there is a limit here on rice at Sam's and at Cosco's.

Mel - hope you get good weather today.

As for me had my morning workout, my food has been good... I need to get that water in though.

Good for you, Patty, for getting your workout in and making sure you're eating healthy! We've got to get our water in though....so let's with our water to good friends and healthy habits!

di
I had the opposite problem this time. They had GREAT clothes in sizes 1x to 3x. I mean a ton of great clothes. Maybe some lucky lady lost a lot of weight. Sometimes I go in and find nothing, sometimes one or two things. I just go back once a week and see what I can find. I have a couple right by my house. The one I go to on Wednesday because they have two colored tags that are 50% off what ever the price is on the garment. The other place I go to on Thursday because it is 50 cent day and almost everything is priced 50 cents lol.

Melody
Most of the stores have taken out their lay a way. This killed me. That was the way I could afford to get my kids stuff. At least you are going to get to drive until you are 70 lol. I know they are going to take my daughters license away before she turns 20. So far she has been in two accidents, within 4 months of getting her license. Neither were her fault but I have a feeling that poor kid is going to be an accident looking for a place to happen. The one accident a young man pulled across the street from one parking lot to go to another on the other side of the street. Hit her so hard he pulled her into the parking lot with him. His mother called me to see if she was ok ( she hurt her foot and the thing is still giving her problems we worry about tennis this year ) the mother said after I went to the hospital with her he started to shake because he thought i was going to beat him up lol. DO NOT MESS with my child. At the accident he kept telling me she is ok she is ok as I was running up to the car ( she called me it was about 1/4 of a mile up the street from our house ). I guess the cop looked at my face and told him son shut up that woman might just hurt you lol.

Shad
Are you saying the chicken was tired of starving so it just jumped into the pot lol.

happy
It wouldn't have been so bad if it had just rained all day like it was suppose too lol. Made me so darn mad that it turned out to be a beautiful day. You have to go early in the year to see some of the animals at their best, when it starts to get warmer they are hold up all the time.

Afternoon Ladies..........

Nicer day today than yesterday....

Diyana....Hoorah on the size 14s. Squeeze away to make them fit. I always say, lean whatever direction necessary on the scales to make the scales say what you want it to say.

Ceejay...snakes don't seem to bother me anymore, could be cause DD has had one in a glass aquarium in her room for the past 5 years. Feeds it live mice, once a week. Ick. I think it is cruel to the mice.

Rennie...vanity sizing. Don't cha just love it.

Happy...Boob Kini...lol. And the time will come when the tankini doesn't do the window shade flap anymore. It used to on me too. Yes, 170 bucks for the 05 Camry, and 65 bucks for the 89 beater Ford pick up truck. Highway robbery....

Shad...I love your description of everything. You should write a book, you are very good at it.

UPS & Patty...get to feeling better.

Hello to everyone far and near.

Love and Hugs,

Lots of apologies and excuses from here. I'm just too darned busy to post here, in South Beach, in the MODerators' Forum (you did know we have one, didn't you?) and on my gardening Boards. Take away my Worldly Chick Passport if you like.

Garden work is in full swing - I have a guy working for me which is a great help. So far it's been mainly raking but he did clear off a perennial bed and seems to know plants from grass. Bonus!

Knee is still grieving me but I'm coping. It's been a long haul. Harry's still hanging in although there have been some blood sugar issues. How about 1.3 first thing in the morning? That's 23.4 American! The nurses are watching him and the doc has adjusted the meds. Hersh is still doing fine although she sure misses her daughter Lucy. I definitely have to get another dog before winter for her - and for me.

I'm not sure where you chickies will be in May but I'll find you.

By the way, I notice Madcat's trillium and was just about to change mine from the hepaticas. May still do it.

Enjoy what's left of Athens - I had a Greek salad for lunch today.

Hugs to all.

Just popping in to say hello. It's been busy day at work today.

Morning all,

Another smoggy day in old Jakarta. I'm feeling a bit down, today is Bev's funeral and I can't be there. I have written a tribute and sent it to Pam but have not had a reply so I hope it made it okay. I did rather leave it to the last minute and it was really hard to write, but I did email it yesterday. I daresay I will hear eventually.

Food in Indonesia. Okay - there is everything you could possibly want to eat here. English, Dutch, Japanese, Indonesian - just name it. At the breakfast buffet you can have a choice of the following:
Cereals - cornflakes, rice bubbles, all bran, bircher muesli
Fruit - fresh pineapple, banana, apple, orange, and other unidentifiable stuff. I think jackfruit was there this morning. Then you can have dried or reconstituted apricots (cooked with cinnamon sticks) black cherries (canned), pineapple, fruit salad etc.etc
From the Salad bar you can have every type of lettuce imaginable and also green or red cabbage, raddichio, carrot sticks, cucumber, etc and the assorted dressings
From the hot section you can have hash, fish, chicken, mushrooms, eggs, beef bacon, tomatoes, wallpaper paste, onions, casserole, and most of the above have chili in one form or another
From the Japanese counter you can have miso soup, mushrooms, cod on the hibachi (sort of indoor barbecue that sits on the table and every so often you turn the fish with chopsticks??? , rice, domburi (rice and chicken or beef and curry gravy) or okonomyaki (sort of omelette with a million different veges and pickles)
Then there is bread for toast, pastries, muffins, cake, doughnuts, brioche etc.
No one need starve at this joint!!! You can also have whatever juice you want, coffee (they grow the stuff and it is good), tea, and even alcohol if the heart desires and that is just for breakfast.

The hotel has a gym and a swimming pool. Last night the Japanese gentlemen took over the gym. They were all overweight (muffin tops - double layered) and they were determined to get the lot off in one night. There will be some sore bodies around this morning. The gym is 24 hours. You can go whenever you like and there is a personal trainer to look after your every wish - yes even that if you wanted no doubt.
Unfortunately the swimming pool is outdoor. It is lovely, but it is a toss up whether to stay under the water and drown or come up for air and choke. Would be nice covered in.
I haven't seen a lot of the city. Some of the girls were going out to a mall about 1 km away last night. I decided not to go because really there is nothing I need, I don't need to spend money on clothes, I would like some shoes but nothing here will fit my flat, wide paddles. And I don't need handbags either. So I stayed in. You can not walk alone outside. You get driven wherever you want to go, so I haven't seen anything of the city. I suppose that when I come back next time (and it will be for two weeks) I can ask for a car and see if I can get to a botanical garden or some sightseeing tours. Apart from keeping you lot up to date, this week has been all work.

Sorry I am not getting time for personals, but I have to pack plenty more information into today and tomorrow and come up with a training solution next week. I've been sort of reminding them about Change Management. They are a bit reticent at the moment. I will change this!!!!

Keep happy, keep smiling and figure out where we need to be in May.

If you fancy an island somewhere, the Maldives are nice at this time of year. But there are plenty of other places.

Have a good day and don't forget to sweat

I'm so fat I can't scratch my own butt!!!

Don't ya just love it??? My friend James sent me a whole list of animal photos with captions for each one. There are some beauties in here. We will try for one a day, but I don't promise anything.

Shad,

I would love to hear your tribute to Bev. To honor someone who was a special person transcends whether we knew her or not. I would be honored to hear your words and celebrate her life.

Let me see if I can attach it here. Otherwise I will send you an email over the weekend. I don't have the email addy here with me.

Okay - I think I got it attached. Let me know if it doesn't work

Ah Joy - that is quite beautiful, thank you for sharing. I can the laughter of 2 women making right with the world. How great it is to touch someone's life in that way. I have a quote on my board - actually it's a song lyric "Keep me in your heart for a while..." I do hope your tribute made it into the right hands on time.

Didn't realize she was there sharing the famous flying salad incident

Umm shouldn't you have been in bed a long time since???? Happy, what are we going to do with you?? The hours you keep. Or hang on, my 3FC site is on Australian time - are you just getting up???

Morning ladies! Doing ok here MS seems to be on a wave machine...sometimes I feel down right awful, and others almost normal. Woke up around 3am here, and couldn't get back to sleep...so I got up and ate (hoping it would help) then paid bills. Will be getting the kiddies up in about an hour...have to finish DS' homework since we forgot to do it yesterday. I was feeling so bad when he came home I told him to do it later with DH...otherwise he is good about doing it right after school.

We told the kids last night and they are fighting over if it will be a boy or a girl. Will be happy with just a healthy baby. Taking everything slowly, as the smallest amount of movement wears me out!

Have a wonderful day ladies!

MICHELLE...GOOD GYM WORKOUTS AND HOME COOKING. GOT TO LOVE THAT DAY!

HAPPY...I HAD FORGOTTEN IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR MOM'S VISIT. GOT ANY PLANS OR JUST HANGING OUT? THE SUNSHINE YOU SENT ARRIVED FIORST THING THIS MORNING! THANKS I NEEDED IT!!

MADCAT....DOES THAT BEAUTIFUL FLOWER GROW IN NTHE BOG OLD SNOTTY CITY???

TO CEEJAY...BUSY GAL!

PATTY.. BETTER BE DRINKING HER WATER!!

RENNIE~ NO SOONER DID JEN HAVE HER ACCIDENT AND THE CAR WAS FIXED AND GOT NEW TIRES AND A WAX JOB WHEN RICHIE WENT INTO THE MAIN PART OF TOWN AND SOMEONE BROADSIDED HIM. NOT BAD AT ALL BUT ANOTHER ACCIDENT NONETHE LESS. SIGH.

SHAD~ THE PICTURE IS TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. I USED TO WONDER IF I GOT ANY FATTER HOW I WAS GONNA REACH MY TUSHY TOO! THE BREAKFAST SOUNDED GREAT. EVEN I COULD FIND SOMETHING TO EAT. WISHING YOU LUCK ON CHANGING THEIR MINDS WITH THE PROGRAM. I AM NOT SURE WHY YOU CANNOT WALK ALONE...IS IT BEING A WOMAN OR IS IT THAT UNSAFE THERE??? OR DO THEY NOT TRUST FOREIGNERS? INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW. I COULD BE THE BODY GUARD! I WILL READ YOUR TRIBUTE TO BEV LATER ON. I NEED MY EYES THIS MORNING IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. I HOPE THE TRIBUTE GOT THER IN TIME AND I AM SORRY YOU COULD NOT BE THERE YOURSELF BUT I KNOW THAT SHE IS IN YOUR HEART. HOPE PAM'S LIFE GOES WELL NOW TOO.
I SHOULD READ ABOUT JAKARTA AND FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF "TOWN" YOU'RE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME IN!!!
STAY WELL AND SAFE.

ELLEN...ONE DAY AT A TIME. AND LOTS OF REST.

THE TEMPS HAVE DROPPED TO 35 AGAIN. ALMOST WINTER. A FRIEND IN WV TOLD ME IT WAS SNOWING THERE. WHAT KIND OF SPRING IS THIS I ASK YOU.
MY HEAT IS BACK ON! MY FRIEND IS UNHAPPY IN ENGLAND/SCOTLAND AND IS CUTTING HER TRIP SHORT. SHE WANTS TO COME HERE NOW. ANOTHER FRIEND IS BATTLING TO GET HER TO STAY THERE NOW. SUCH DRAMA. TOLD THEM BOTH WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO...JUST LET ME KNOW THE OUTCOME!
I JUST RECYCLED 2 SM. BOXES OF STUFF WITH THE MAINT.MAN. HE LOVES SMALL STUFF AND KNOWS LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT. MUST BE LIKE CHRISTMAS WITH HIM GOING FROM APT TO APT.
THE WASH IS ALMOST CAUGHT UP. NOW THIS WEEKEND I NEED TO DECIDE HOW I WANT MY CLOTHES AND IN WHICH CLOSET. DECISIONS. DECISIONS. BUT I NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF MY SHOULDERS THIS TIME!! HEAVY CLOTHES AND STRETCHING ALMOST KILLED ME LAST WINTER!!
HAPPY WEDNESDAY!