good morning all,

despite going to bed at a reasonable hour, I had a night filled with nightmares and bad dreams and I have an excruciating headache this morning. I'm hoping 10 minutes under a hot shower will help.

Will be back later to post.

GOOD MORNING CHICKS. WOKE UP EARLY, ROLLED OVER AND SLEPT ANOTHER HOUR. BUT THIS TIME I FEEL REFRESHED. YESTERDAY SEEMED TO NEVER END. I WAS GLAD TO GET BACK UP HERE AT 3:30. HAD A NICE QUIET EVENING. NOTHING EXCITING HAPPENING HERE TODAY. STICKING TO MY PLAN AND EATING ALL MY MEALS UP HERE AND IN "QUIETNESS"!! I DO FEEL BETTER THAN I HAVE FOR A WHILE. I JOINED AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE NOW TOO. THIS SHOULD KEEP ME IN TOW FOR THE WINTER...I COULD FEEL MYSELF SLACKING OFF THE EXERCISING L AS THE TEMPS WERE DROPPING AND THE OLD BOD WAS STIFFENING UP. THINKING POSITIVELY!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE
ps: The eviction never happened...it now has to go to the courts as the son refuses to leave, the mom has the alzh. & another son has custody and power of attorney. Could take months to remove him. Sad really. I never saw him yesterday or he...me. But on round 2 of this drama I will be missing from any proceedings. He scares Jen and I cannot have her worrying. I personally think he's full of hot air but desperate people can get wonky. She's right.


HAPPY~ I MUST HAVE MISSED THE CIDER STORY OF ANNIE'S BUT NOW I HAVE A HANKERING FOR THE STUFF THE LUNCH SOUNDED GREAT AND THE NEXT TIME I GO TO A REGULAR STORE, I NEED TO LOOK FOR THOSE FLATBREADS. I SAW THEM IN A MAGAZINE. YUM!!! MAYBE I COULD USE THE GARLIC ONES ON THE WEEKENDS TO KEEP PEOPLE AWAY!! HOPE THE DH'S SOUP WAS GOOD...SOUNDED LIKE IT!!


MICHELLE...HOPE THE EARLY DAY HAS WORN OFF AND YOU FEEL GOOD. OUR SUN IS TRYING BUT NOT SUCCEEDING TO PEEK OUT. MAYBE LATER OR TOMORROW. HOW'S DOPPLER DOING?? GREAT TIME OF YEAR FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO SEE BETTER.....HE CAN CHASE THE LEAVES!!


ANNIE....YOU HAVE TO KNOW IN YOUR HEART THAT WE WILL KEEP STICKING YOU BACK TOGETHER WITH CRAZY GLUE IF YOUR DS GETS DEPLOYED. HAVE NO FEAR...THE CHICKS ARE HERE!!! WE'LL KEEP YOU SANE...OR AS SANE AS POSSIBLE!!! I AM GLAD YOU'RE ALL GOING ON THE WEEKEND TRIP NEXT MONTH. SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. WTF....YOUR HAND TOO!?!? GOING TO GET THE UPS MAN TO START SAVING ALL DISCARDED BUBBLE WRAP!!! SEEMS LIKE YOU WILL BE NEEDING FAR MORE THAN I WILL!!! ALTHOUGH A FRIEND OF MINE HAD A DREAM THAT I SLID OUT OF MY WHEELCHAIR AND ENDED UP ON THE FLOOR!!


CEEJAY....FREE HOURS SOUND GOOD TO ME. SHORT CLASSES TOO?? WHEN IS THE RENEWAL? I HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE AT THAT JOB SO LONG. COLD MORNINGS AND WARMER AFTERNOONS ARE PREDICTED HERE FOR AFTER OUR MONSOON SEASON IS OVER!!! HAPPY "ON PLAN" DAY TO YOU TODAY!!


SHAD...SORRY MISS CHRIS IS LEAVING. I MUST HAVE HAD IT WRONG...I THOUGHT THE VISIT WOULD BE LONGER. SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE STEROIDS STILL AND OF COURSE THEIR SIDE EFFECTS ARE TERRIBLE. SHE'S BEEN THRU SO MUCH...WISH THERE WAS AN END IN SIGHT FOR HER TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. THE TASTE TESTING WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!! CHEESE & FUDGE!! OMG I AM DROOLING OVER HERE GLAD YOU BOTH HAD A GREAT TIME TOGETHER!! BTW...I AM NOT A FISH EATER BUT THE TUNA0CHILI SAUCE OVER TUNA SOUNDED DELISH!!

CIN....DID WE LOSE YOU????

OHHHH MISS HAPPY....SENDING GOOD THOUGHTS FOR A PAIN FREE DAY!! THIS IS NO WAY TO START OFF A THUESDAY

Happy
Those nightmares and bad dreams are not a good thing. Hope your headaches ceases.

Shad
At least one good thing is coming out of this short lived class. I get hours for my license renewal coming in June, 2011. I agree with the side affects of to much steriod use.

D*mn it, it did it again....I will try one more time...in a few...going to get coffee...

Hi ladies -

I left work yesterday at noon, absolutely exhausted. I had to make a side trip to the vet to get some eye drops for Doppler because I wasn't sure he'd have enough to last until the appointment today. I got home, and DH said needed a ride to the rental car place. Apparently the company he ordered his transmission from sent one for a different truck...so now they have to bring him the correct one and take the bad one back. In the meantime, his truck is in the driveway with the drive shaft out and the transmission nearly completely disconnected. He was livid. So he is making the company that sent the wrong transmission pay for a rental car so he can get to and from work. He and I work far enough apart and different enough hours that it would make carpooling for a week really difficult, especially given Doppler's vet appointment today and my back injection on Thursday.

Last night...I fell asleep by 7 pm and slept straight through until 4:30. It was wonderful.

Today after work, I'm rushing home and getting Doppler to take him to the vet for another follow up. Then once I get home from that, I have to go to the Library to return some books/videos, and I may mow the lawn if I have enough energy and there's enough daylight left.

I'm not doing as well as I'd hoped in terms of being On Plan. My eating has been good, but I've missed several days of exercise due to bronchitis and this lasting weakness. My hope is to gradually get back to an exercise plan starting on Saturday or Sunday, because by then my energy should be have returned, my lungs should be clear AND the pain from the back injection will have subsided.

So much to catch up on with all you chicks and so much work to do....decisions, decisions....well, here goes nothing.

Annie - I LOVE Whole Foods. Whenever I go there...which thankfully isn't often since we don't live anywhere near one...I definitely hit the deli area hard. All the yummy, healthy deli salads. And double drool for the apple cider, especially with Happy's secret "southern" ingredient!

Happy - Your lunch sounds super healthy and delish. I'll have to try the Wheat Thins flatbreads. As for the Whole Food cheese samples...I'd be running neck and neck with you and Annie...though Annie has much longer legs, so she'd probably win. I think your DH should cook for us all, freeze the portions and mail them to us...like Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating...except it would be Happy's DH's Healthy Eating! I'm sure it would be way healthier and tastier and an outstanding career move for him! So sorry to hear about your restless and nightmarish night. I hope your headache has gone away by now.

Laura - I've wondered how people like those sleep number beds, and how long they last/stay supportive. DH and I are thinking about getting a Tempurpedic bed when we can afford it...and now that we've been enjoying our memory foam mattress topper so much, we'll probably get the entire mattress in a year or two. As for the 2:30 am shift...I may have to pull that again next Monday...depending on whether or not my team lead who is scheduled to do it will "pull rank" on me. I'm so glad the shot in your foot has given you relief! Keeping my fingers crossed that the podiatrist appointment goes well and that the orthotics are made correctly and helpful to you!

Ceejay - I hope your classes continue to go well. As for protein, it does help you feel full longer, and if you typically eat only carbs at a meal, if you add a bit of protein, it will keep your blood sugar a bit more stable (helping to avoid the spikes and crashes). As for Laura...getting 2 hours of OT, while not as good as 3, is better than nothing.

Shad - Glad you had a nice visit with Chris! Thanks to your mention of Mt. Tamborine, I now have the song "Mr. Tamborine Man" stuck in my head. I know that steroids are not good for me. I know they totally wreck bones and other bodily systems, but they do help me breathe when I get lung infections. And they are giving me a better quality of life (read: less pain) even if it's only short term. I eat lots of dairy and take calcium...and my last bone density scan came out okay. But, yes, to your point, I am aware with each pill or shot that there are consequences. And it sucks. I REALLY wish there was something else that worked as well without the long and short-term side effects. As for cheese, my DMIL is on me ALL THE TIME about how I like cheese on EVERYTHING. She says that's why I'm fat. I said there are a lot worse things I could eat than cheese, and I try and make low fat choices and use a little rather than a lot. But to me...all food is better with cheese...well, maybe not brownies or ice cream...but nearly all food. I am DEFINITELY for breaking the cycle of bad things/ailments/pain!

Mel - Sorry that the eviction has been delayed and if the drama continues. I think you are smart to steer clear of the proceedings. You and Jen don't need that stress. Thanks for asking about Doppler, he seems to be doing GREAT! And he REALLY wants to run. He has had enough of the leash. Every time we tug on the leash to bring him in (after he's done his business), he seems to be swearing under his breath! Schnauzers are stubborn dogs and he just wants to stay outside and roam free. Hopefully, he can get permission from the vet to start running/playing a week early. Stay warm and dry, my friend.

Cin - Are you there? Hope you're having a good day.

Okay...work is tromping on my "chit-chatting" time.


Love and hugs to all,

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening…wherever you are reading from….

Last night at CVS was busier than heck..I mean it is not even Christmas season and we are being bombarded. I think when people don’t have anything to do, they come and hang out at CVS. For instance last night, many regulars came in cause I know I shouted hello’s to Lorie, Michelle, Eric, Gary and whoever else. Too funny. Just like Cheers..NORM!!

The burn on my hand is not from the stove or fire. It is from the pot I boiled the cabbage in last week. The steam rolled off the hot water onto the top of my hand and sizzled away. The scab came off in the shower and it bleed this morning. Surprisingly enough it does not hurt. I put triple antibiotic cream on it with a bandaid…all is good.

Shaddie…I can’t wait to come visit with you sometime, you do fun, cool stuff. Wine and cheese….yum, you can all my chocolate, yuk. You will see Chris before you know it March will be here. I mean it is only 166 days till spring. I really want to see a Roo baby the most. They are so cute.

MELLIE….glad you didn’t have to deal with the eviction, but it will come to something that will have to be dealt with, not fun I am sure. Stay in your apartment where it is quiet and peaceful, do your exercising, and eating OP. YOU CAN DO THIS… Sliding out of your wheelchair dream,,,hmm, my momma actually did that once. Me and dad caught her before she hit bottom. She actually was laughing the entire time….bad thing but good happy funny memory….

Happy…sorry about the nightmares…Yikes…I hate them and when I wake up scared, I lay there real still to make it all go away, with eyes wide open. No one to hold onto. Freaky. What did you eat before going to bed. I hear mushrooms will make you dream, not necessarily nightmares tho.

Ceejay…hope the class was worth your time…too bad our Shaddie couldn’t have been your teacher. That would have been a hoot all the way around, although, I think she would make you tow the line and learn it. Lol

Laura…hope the new shoes work out better for you and feeties feel better than ever. I think I need to adopt all the ON PLAN acronyms for my plan. They all sound good and can be applied to my life. Yes the desk jobs give us pancake arse. If you sit on a grate, that would be waffle arse. Lol

Cincy….hope your day is going well. Did we scare you off? Hope not.

Annie
Ouch on the burn.

Mel
I love those day's where I can get and extra hours sleep. It may be in the afternoon however. My body has adjusted to getting up early.

Food was good but not as good as it should have been. For some reason I dislike green veggies except for root veggies and beans and peas. All types of Lettuce has always has bothered my stomach. Rode the bike for 20 minutes.
My morning is flying by. I suppose it's because I get an opportunity to get out of the building at 4 p.m.

Cin
did you get lost?

Hey Ceejay....Broccoli is bad for me, not only does it tear my stomach up, give me indigestion but also gives me terrible gas.....It is awful.

Good morning all.

Shad – That visit with Chris went quickly! Sounds like the trip to Mt. Tamborine was fun. Wine, cheese, fudge – yum! Sorry to hear about the effects of the steroids on her. As Michelle wrote – sure wish there was something safer that would help. Nope, Chinese food is not OP, especially the typical Americanized version of it. At least the rice was steamed, not fried… And, hey, I only came out w/ my OP statements yesterday! Excuses, excuses. Must keep trying.

Happy – Sorry you slept poorly, had nightmares and woke with a headache – that’s the worst! Hope you’re feeling better soon.

Mel – Good for you for getting on an exercise challenge! Too bad the eviction didn’t happen, but I’m not surprised it’s getting held up. Hope you and Jen can just steer clear of this guy until he’s finally out of the building.

Ceejay – Nice to get 3 hours of license credit for only 1.5 hours of class time! There aren’t many veggies I like either. My mother doesn’t like many veggies and so I didn’t grow up eating a wide variety of them. But that’s no excuse now!

Michelle – Glad you had a nice long sleep. Arrrgh, how frustrating for DH to discover he’d been shipped the wrong transmission!! I hope Doppler gets the all clear today and can run around and enjoy his restored vision to its fullest. I think we’ve had our sleep number bed around 7-8 years and it’s still going strong. It hasn’t lost any supportiveness. I’m pretty much on the same number I’ve been on since the beginning. We haven’t had any issues with leaks or the pumps. We know several people who have them, and for longer than bf & I, so I’ll have to ask them how their beds are doing.

Annie – But doesn’t being busy make the shift faster? I used to wish for work days with nothing to do, but then I realized how boring and long they can be. And these days it’s better to be busy. Doesn’t assure job security (no one has that anymore, do they?), but still… Anyway, now I just look forward to days when the boss is out – not for slacking opportunities, just for the peace. The past year or so I’ve really noticed her hearing is not what it used to be, and sometimes I can hear her conversations from her office clear over to my cube! Yep, she’s talking louder. Maybe that has nothing to do with hearing loss but more to do with being on speakerphone – I know I talk louder on them. I think that goes back to the days when speakerphones had crummy sound quality. I digress… The boss and one other dept member are leaving town Thurs. afternoon, so a little peace is coming later this week.

Hi Cincy!

Yesterday was so-so for food. Took doggy for a walk w/ bf and did one BE workout. No workout today since I’m leaving at about 3 for my foot doc appt. The movie tonight is “The Town”, and I’ll be going to that. Tomorrow will also be no workout at the bldg. FC since we just received an e-mail strongly urging us to participate in a volunteer project tomorrow afternoon. (CEO: “Managers: if your people want to attend, please let them go unless there is something urgent that has to get done.” Boss’s boss: “If your schedule permits, please lend a hand.”) I wouldn’t be writing this post right now if I had something urgent on my plate, so I guess I’ll run it by the boss for her okay. Tomorrow night I’ll do a BE workout. Okay, gotta get this posted. TTFN.

Update On My $$ Drama: The Bank Hit Me With Some Heavy Charges...over $100 For This Whole Business. I Called That Lawyer Jen Found And Asked Advice....he Said They Are Within Their Rights To Do So But He Was Disappointed To Hear That A Bank As Large As Wells Fargo Would Do Such A Thing Under The Circumstances.
No More Disappointed Than I Was. When The Bank Was Wachovia, They Returned Every Cent. Guess Wachovia Had A Heart!! I Had Already Been Turned Down By Phone So He Said To Shoot A Letter Off To Customer Services. It Can't Hurt But Not To Count On It......at Least We Got The Bulk Of The Money Back.

MICHELLE...SORRY ABOUT THE DH'S CAR AND YOUR WEAK FEELING. JUST TAKE IT SLOW TILL YOU FEEL THE STRENGTH COME BACK. YOU HAVE BEEN THRU A LOT THIS YEAR ALSO LIKE ANNIE. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO LEARN TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION! MODERATION IS NEVER EASY SO I'M SENDING A HUG!! SO GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT DOPPLER AND HOPE HE GETS HIS FREEDOM VERY SOON.


CEEJAY... I WOULD SEE HOW THE LETTUCE ETC WOULD BOTHER YOUR TUMMY AND ALSO THE IBS. TOUGH TO DIGEST!! AFTERNOON NAPS ARE GREAT WHEN YOU HAVE A COZY BLANKET!!


HAPPY...HOPE YOUR HEAD FEELS A BIT BETTER NOW.


ANNIE...HOPE THE BOO BOO HEALS VERY SOON! I HATE BURNS OF ANY KIND!! HAD A LAUGH AT YOUR MEMORY OF MOM. MY FRIEND DOENS'T KNOW WHY SHE WOULD HAVE A DREAM LIKE THAT. LOL I USED TO HANG OUT AT CVS WITH THE SENIORS AT ALL THE MALLS. BOUGHT A ,.OT OF GIFTS THERE TOO AND ALL MY OTC DRUGS. JEN & I HAVE LOTS OF DECORATIONS FROM THEM TOO AND SOME ADORABLE STOCKINGS! GOTTA LOVE CVS!!



LAURA....HOPE THE VOLUNTEERING GOES WELL. HAVE FUN IF YOU CAN. GIVE US THE REVIEW ON "THE TOWN" TOMORROW!! LOL THEN WE WILL HAVE TO GET THE WHIP OUT AND GENTLY URGE YOU TO THE BLDG FC!!


SWEET DREAMS CHICKS...ESPECIALLY MISS HAPPY!! POSTING THIS NOW AS I WILL BE MIA TOMORROW.
I HAVE STUFF TO SET UP FOR THE FLU SHOTS IN THE MORNING AND THEN HANDING THE REINS OVER TO SOMEONE ELSE. I GAVE UP THIS JOB LAST YEAR AND STUCK TO MY GUNS THIS YEAR AS WELL. IT'S TAKING 3 PEOPLE TO REPLACE ME I LOVE THAT SOOO MUCH!! IS THAT MEAN???

TOMORROW AFTERNOON, THE KIDS AND I ARE HAVING AN EARLY DINNER TOGETHER. SOME KIND OF TAKE OUT. WE NEVER FEEL GOOD AFTER THESE SHOTS SO IT'S BECOME A TRADITION OF SORTS. LOL THEN IT WILL BE AN EARLY NIGHT AND SHOPPING THURSDAY MORNING.
TRY AND STAY OUT OF TROUBLE TILL I RETURN!

SEND OUT THE MOUNTIES FOR CIN. I THINK SHE GOT LOST!

Morning all,
Here I sit again in the office. I do have a couple of things I can mull over and that should take me all of a couple of hours I guess. But there you go. You win some, you lose some.

On plan is more or less working for me, since I have been watching the portions and doing some walking on our travels. I seem to have shed nearly a kilo. So it can be done. Having said that, I need to keep it up.

Chucked Chris out at the airport yesterday afternoon. It was sad to see her go. Tonight I get to do it all over again as DS2 is off to Perth for about 10 days to catch up with friends. DS1 arrives on the 12th of October for 3 weeks. All these comings and goings. But it will be good to have the family together again for a while.

DS2 found out that the company to which he has applied for an apprenticeship is checking his references. That is a positive sign for him. We continue to wait for that one answer. I may have to pick up the pieces if they don't employ him. Still we all have our crosses in life to bear.

Annie - do you have an Aloe Vera plant in your yard. Those things are miraculous with burns, scalds, sunburn, rashes etc. Lovely, lovely stuff. No scarring, no scabbing. Everyone needs an Aloe.
The fudge wasn't just chocolate. I'm not a chocolate lover myself. There were umpteen varieties of ginger fudge, maple fudge, strawberry fudge, citrus fudge, honey fudge, Baileys Irish Cream fudge, Cointreau fudge, etc. I bought some triple ginger fudge for the DS2 since he is addicted to ginger. Chris got some dark chocolate coated glace ginger which wasn't too bad. She is a chocoholic. The cheese factory was small but had some nice varieties. I got a Tamenbert. Camenbert made in Tambourine = Tamenbert. It was very nice too. Didn't have that sometimes musty flavour of the shop bought ones. I've also got some olive tapenade which contains goats cheese and garlic as well as olives. Either eat it with friends or stay alone.
Just for you I have attached a picture of a joey in the pouch. Enjoy

Ceejay - I am with you on green veges. I will eat cauliflower and broccoli. But I don't really like the green leafy stuff unless it is raw. I am happy to eat raw cabbage and spinach etc. Good to hear that you get credit for classes at year end.

Happy - sorry to hear about the headache. Horrible things. Hope it went away soon after it arrived.

Laura - Like the On Plan thingy. Now we have to live up to our ideas. Happy BE Workout

Mel - Banks are a law unto themselves - rotten b*stards. Just keep breathing and relaxing. Sounds like there is a lot of tension building up there. We do not want you going down with the latest version of lurgy or anything. Why are they trying to evict the son? Okay so he is not the one looking after Mum, which probably means that he is not reliable enough. And why is he staying there in the first place. Ring the alarms and get the place swarming with cops. If he is hiding out, they will find him then. How does he upset Jen??

Michelle - sounds like Doppler is raring to go again. He probably is swearing at you for bringing him back inside again.

Patty - good to have you back. Now you just have to post regularly and the naughty police on the thread will keep you on track - or on the naughty spot.

Better go think about some work I guess. It seems a long time until 4 o'clock.

Umm what happened to the attachment??????

Try again.

Success. There you go

Awwww Shaddie, just love the Roo. Hims is so cute. I could kiss him all up, if he would hold still and not bonk me in the nose....