Hey sassy, I have to say the best bathing suit I ever got was from the Bahama Mama store at the mall, it fit and held stuff in and accentuated my limited good features and all that. Bad part was, it was nearly $100 egads. but that was pre kids 2 & 3 so I had the $ to spare at that point. If I still had that kind of money I'd get this Tribal Swimsuit With Skirting In fact, this Two Piece Beauty is what I'm ordering for our christmas vacation {we're going to a hotel for 4 days 3 nights instead of gifts}

I have had the same slow days as some of the rest of you. It is just so darn dreary and cold...don't want to do much. I did strip beds and do all the laundry today. Also swept the garage and cleaned out my car. We took a brief jaunt out of the house to go for breakfast, but have been home ever since.
One good thing...I didn't cook today, we ate leftovers.

Sassy- I haven't bought a swimsuit in years.... It sounds like you have a good plan and I am sure you can get the BS down. We all know we need more of that "E" word..I wonder why it is so hard for us to do it? I do think that if you have one splurge meal a week it can keep you sane. Good luck!

Jane- Mom and I are starting a jigsaw puzzle tomorrow. DH will be gone for 9 days so we will use the table. I need to get the bar stools so we will have somewhere to sit for meals.

Judith- Hugs and prayers to you for the troubles you are going through. I hope the medical problems are not serious. We are here for you.

Jules, Marti- Hello...stop back when you have time.

Cristina- I hope the shirts come in one package, not 28. Good luck with the scrapbooking...I haven't tried much of that yet, although I bought some goodies to get started and never did. Imagine, daunted by scrapbooking..... I also want to try making cards...haven't done that yet. I am full of good intentions.


Well, I did weigh in today and I am TAH-DAH......the same. That is as good as a loss again. I have only walked a few days and haven't eaten like I should.
Hope the rest of you are doing better.

Judith - to you and I hope your medical problems are not too serious. Thanks for the links of the swimsuits! I need all the help I can get!

Sue -- Thanks. I know I can do this and now I HAVE to do it. I think in a way it is a good thing because I know if I don't do it I have to answer to my dr next month.

I was also going to let you all know that tomorrow on Oprah she is doing a show about WLS and "The things you do not hear about". I thought it may be interesting to watch.

Have a Great night, stay warm!!!!!!!

oprah? is this another bob green expose of his greatest tricks or what? I heard on her 'road trip finale show' {there was nada on, and we have 50 odd channels} that she's reached her goal weight. Sadly my first thought was 'about darn time' then I remembered that I've gained and lost the same 50 pounds and a few of their friends about a dozen times in the last four years..

I will tune into Oprah..they said something about a celebrity guest who had WL surgery. I did see that she was able to get rid of her trainer since she reached her goal. Hey, Oprah, send him my way....I need inspiration. (you pay for him, of course)
I tok DH to the airport this a.m. Not my favorite trip, downtown Indy during rush hour. Ugh. I had sweaty palms the whole time. You have to realize that we live in the boondocks compared to city folks. I was proud of myself, but I sure would not drive that to work every day. He comes back at night..thank goodness.
Nothing planned for today, but I am up and at 'em and have been since 5 a.m. Soooo, a nap might be on the agenda later.

It's very dark and gloomy here today, and I just cannot get this lonely empty feeling out of me. There have been other deaths I have experienced, but this was so suddent with no warning, and there's nothing like a mother. I just feel so down and I told my husband that I don't want the days to end and I don't feel like getting up in the morning, just sad all the time. Sorry to be such a downer, just having a very difficult time right now.

Sue- I will soon be making the boonies to Indy commute every day and having done it before, I hate it with a passion. Especially considering the bulk of my drive will be on 70 East and 465 North during AM drive time and reveresed during PM drive time.


It's actually quite nice here today. 40 degrees but it feels warmer in the sunshine. We just took a 4.5 mile {round trip} walk with the baby and the dog and enjoyed it very much. I even got too warm and had to take off the sweatshirt I was wearing {over a racer back tank w/ built-in and a t-shirt of course, no streaking for me}

Small NSV on our walk. There is a hill going alongside our high school that has been leaving me winded for years except during the rare times I've managed to control my weight instead of the other way 'round. We walked up it just now, with me pushing the stroller, and I barely noticed. There's a similar hill on our street and I was able to have a phone conversation, control the dog {puppy power isn't just for scrappy doo} and walk without the other parties asking what was wrong, or having any trouble!

Hi ladies,

Judith - ugh! I know what you mean about I-70 and 465 around Indy. The traffic goes so fast, it scares me. A traffic jam around here where I live is 3 cars stuck behind a tractor, lol. A big YAY for you for your NSV.

Sassy - Since you asked, I'm thinking it would be better for you to include small amounts of your favorite foods into your weekly menus rather than splurge one meal. Portion control is key, and if you learn that, you're home free. Yowza, I need to go see my gynie, too, but haven't even made an appointment.

Sue - when Katie moves, one thing we're going to do with her room is put a puzzle/craft table in there. And I'm moving the treadmill and a TV in there, too. We've been eating at the bar, or in the LR while the table is full of puzzles, lol. Normally we always eat at the table.

Michelle - you're right, there's nobody like a mom. I still hold my girls and rock them when they will let me, when I know they need it. Katie gives me some resistance on this, but ever since Mary had kids, she lets me hold her. She said she doesn't ever want her DDs to stop letting her hold them. My son is too big, and would never go for it, lol. I'd love for my mom to be able to rock me!

I went shopping and had lunch with Katie and Caylin today. Caylin, who generally does not like to shop, was a complete angel. She was ready to see her mom once we got back home, though.

Neal leaves for Indy in the AM. And before he gets back, I'll be leaving for 4 days. I've never been apart from him longer than 3 days, so this will be weird. I'm not allowed to take a cell phone (or watch) with me, so we can't talk while I'm gone. His ears will get a good rest, lol.

Have a good one, ladies.

JANE...Thank you for your words of kindness and understanding. I know I had some very hard and stressful times with my mom in the past months, but I try to think of the good times, before her mind got so bad. Just a couple months ago, she was diagnosed with Dimentia sp?, which explained to us how she was getting so much more confused and outbursts with her expressions. Where are you going that you can't take a cell phone or watch with you?

Hello to everyone else and I hope your day is going good!

Michelle - As moms, we focus on the good things that happened with our children, and I'm sure that's what your mom did, too. Any unpleasantness that might have crossed between the two of you wouldn't been greatly overshadowed by the positive things. So please, don't waste another moment wondering if you could have done anything better. She saw the good in you, and in her heart, that's all there ever was.

I'm going to a religious retreat called A Walk to Emmaus. Everyone who's been will tell you it's Awesome, but won't tell you what goes on. Since my best church buddy went last Spring, and highly recommended it to me, I thought it's time I do this. I've been thinking about it for years.

Jane, is this it? http://www.upperroom.org/emmaus/whatis/

Judith- Exactlly....I70 East to the airport. Didn't take 465, thank goodness. Are you starting a job in Indy? Or doctoring there? We must live close-by each other. I get on I 70 at Greenfield.
I also take Mom to a Dr. at St. Vincent's and dis-like the Castleton area at any time. Have found an alternate route which works better for me.
I think the key to any big city driving is to map out a smart route....if there is one.

Jane- I hear you with the 3 cars stuck behind a tractor. That is what I grew up with in this area, but we are growing some now. Heck...we have a McD's, Burger King, Hardee's, BK, DQ AND a Subway. Growing up we had just mom and pop cafe's.

Michelle- Hugs to you...

I got a walk...and a nap today. We started on a Kincaid puzzle...it is round and HARD. Tomorrow is a trip to the Mall. Lots of walking there...I hope.

Jane:Good luck on your walk. I've been keeping Mary in my prayers, I hope she is doing well. I love doing puzzles and I need to dig out the boxes and set up the card table. It's nice to have one going all the time during the winter. It's been cold here too. We cleaned out the fireplace and have it ready to lite but will probably wait until the weekend.

Michelle:Your mother is always with you, as long as you keep her in your heart. Just remember she is in a better place and feels no pain. My mother lingered for 8 months, dying slowly more every day. Her mind tortured with Alzheimer's disease. I wish she had died like my father, suddenly and without pain. It hurt me both times but I know my father didn't suffer like my mother did.

Marti:Did you get your pumpkin carved? I heard that there is a pumpkin patch near here. It sounds like fun. I may have to find out where it is and just go. I bought two small sugar pumpkins at the grocery store so that I could make fresh pumpkin pies and bread but they are not good carvers.

Cristina:Aren't you the organized one. I do my cards early, but you beat me hands down. I always have cards left each year but I hate sending them out the next year so I keep building my stash. How do you have the time to do all that you are doing? Are you one of those people who get by on only 4 hours sleep each night?

Jules:I hope your daughter moves back home. I love having my kids home, especially for the holidays.

Sue:WTG on the walking. Living in the country beats living in the city anytime. Do you have alot of trees that have changing leaves or do you have pines?

Hello to anyone I missed. I've been gone and need to catch up on everyone.

My sweetie had to take some days off from work because he can't carry over vacation days from year to year. He is already taking a week off at Christmas, a week off at Thanksgiving and he had 5 days still on the books he had to use up so he took off 2 days and added them to the weekend. We have been busy redoing our laundry/utility room. It's 22 ft long and almost 8 feet wide. We have a backup kitchen with stove, refrig. & sinks, counters and cabinets, freezer and washer and dryer. It always been so drab. We have been painting, building new shelves and decorating. I am so sore from painting and going up and down a ladder for 4 days. It was nice having him home.

My son will be coming back to the states on Nov 4 to Georgia for 3 months and we also want to have a room ready for him just in case he can spend some of the holidays with us.

I hope you all have a super week.

Norma

Hi ladies,

Judith - yep, that's it. I have the one for my area bookmarked, and it's equally vague as to what the itinerary is. But, as I mentioned, anyone who has gone says it's awesome.

Sue - if you're like me, you'd much rather have the mom and pop cafes back, and say goodbye to the cookie-cutter franchises. Both of Neal's Kincaid puzzles are round. He did one so far and it gave him trouble, lol. The other one, an outdoor residential Christmas scene, we plan to do together.

Norma - Good to see you here - glad you're better. Tell Tiffany to git her bunz back in here, too, lol. I hope you get to visit with your son plenty while he is home. There's something about doing jigsaw puzzles in the winter that somehow warms the heart, isn't there? I like to see a puzzle table set up in front of a window, with snow falling. Are you and your sweetie doing anything special on his time off?

A big hello to everyone reading this.

Neal left for Indy a little while ago, and I won't see him until I get back Sunday night. We've never been apart that long before, and I don't think I like it. Especially since he can't call me where I'm going. Anyway, I've got so much to do before I leave - last minute stuff. So I want to say Toodles now, and you gals all behave yourselves. tee hee. I'll chat at ya Monday. Big hugs to you all.

Jane- sounds like we live on opposite ends. I get on at Cloverdale. I'll have to get entirely too close to the castleton/north indy mess when I start school, I'm going to PCI. My oldest was in occupational, physical and speech therapies at St. Vincent Pediatric Rehab for 3 years and my ex worked at 96th & Michigan road for most of that time so I know the area and it's long list of issues all too well.

I'm doing well so far. I found a new snack I'm in love with even though it's a bit pricey compared to what I usually buy for myself: Kelloggs All Bran Snack Bites. Brown sugar and cinnamon to be exact. Yummy stuff.