The storm is finally over. We have a foot of snow in our yard. My DH has been stranded in a city 3 hours from here because of the storm. Hopefully they will open the roads this a.m. He's been so bored. Thank God he made it to a truck stop and was near bathrooms and food. He drives truck so accomodations weren't the issue. We're just thankful that no one was hurt and that the weather is supposed to turn really nice by the weekend. We should lose this snow by then.

I've been doing better with the eating. I seem to go in cycles.

Gary: My prayers are with you and Angie. This is such a hard thing for you and especially you SD to go through. Thanks for the kick. I need that!!

Sunny: One of these days I'm going to play with those graphics. Ihope all goes well with your WI. Remember, inches is better than pounds.

Michele: Sorry that things didn't work out with Charlie. Men have such a problem communicating!!(except Gary of course!!)

Sami: WTG on the weight loss. You are doing great in spite of the extra stress life is throwing at you.

Angel: Good to see you posting!

Gottago, Hello to everyone else!!

Good Morning CEers!!!

Well, yesterday was a long day for me. But we got everything done and the Drs seen. I was totally exhausted by the time I got home. The cardiologist couldn't believe how much I have worsened over the last year. In telling her what's been happening with the chest pain, palpitations, fatigue, tachycardia (fast heartbeat, etc...) she wants to run tests of course. She explained to me that the pressure inside my heart was too high at rest and increases with any activity plus now she also believes that I have hypoxia (low amount of oxygen in the body). If her suspections are right I will have to be on oxygen most of the time and be unable to work. And we talked about my sleep apnea which she feels needs to be tested again for documentation purposes, so they will schedule that soon and I will have some other tests while there. She increased one of my meds to hopefully bring down my resting pulse which during her EKG yesterday was 99!!!! Normally it's in the 80's but higher yesterday. Of course she stressed the importance of getting the weight off and wanted me to have Bypass surgery to get the weight off but I told her again that my insurance will not pay for it, and I don't have $20,000 to $30,000 lying around to use for the surgery. She redid the EKG yesterday and I'm glad she did, it was ok and only showed enlargement of my heart, which we already knew. Anyway, I'll let you know what happens. Please say a little prayer for me in having to be hospitalized and for my family coping.

~Wilma~

How frustrating to be snowed in the middle of May!!! Poor DH! We will be praying that things will improve and he can get back on road home to his loving wife's open arms. Thank goodness the phones aren't out, huh? Glad to hear you are eating better!!! Good for you!!

~Sunny~Congratulations on the ONE LB Loss!!!

Yeah, if it was 84 I would have to turn on the AC too. That's too hot to sleep in. Glad to see you back, was worrying something was wrong.

~Michele~

Your auction sounds interesting. I love to go to them but don't seem to be able to stand around all day to wait on "the item" I'm interested in. Sorry about the Charlie thing, but so glad that you are handling it well. You are right, God does have someone SPECIAL just for YOU!!!!

~Sami~Congratulations on the 15 LB LOSS!!!!!!

You are on fire!!!!
Sorry to hear about Ashli's bed. Good news that your Lupus test came back good. What part of your thyroid testing was high? TSH, T3, T4??? Hang in there, you are doing so good on your weight loss and exercise. We are all supporting you in all of this. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

~Gary~

Sorry to hear about your SDD and her depression, suicidalness, etc.. Prayers are going up as we speak. There ought to be some way of keeping her in therapy and her father from interfering. {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for you and Angie.
You are such a GREAT person to do the work for your DS's coach/mentor free. Why can't you live near me?? Scholar Athlete, WOOHOO!!!! That is fantastic!!!!! Will be praying for her trip to Alabama. Are they driving down or flying???

~Angel-lover~Charlotte~

Love your name gif with the butterflies!!! So cute!!! If what the Dr suspects is true I will have a lot more time to learn how to do the graphics thing. I love crafts and creating things so web design would be wonderful. Now, if I only had a tutor.

~Hello to EVERYONE ELSE~
~eisenj~ceejay~Sue~sprout~deenieM~
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Hope EVERYONE has a GREAT day!!!

Gotta get a few things done. Talk atch later.

HI LADIES

Off work today, job fell through for today, that is OK though since I was going to leave early for my daughter's tennis banquet--I have to load up my truck with stuff she is bringing home for the summer, take down some shelves I put up and repair the walls. Thanks for all the prayers for my step-D. The whole situation is confusing...she confided in a friend that she was bulimic-- this friend is anorexic...the friend told her mom who in turn called Angie--thankfull for that. We don't see any signs of bulimia other than she says she has self-induced vomiting for 4 months, once a day. Seems her dad said her behind was getting a little large which set the situation in motion. We had her to our Dr., nurse practioner too...they said she should seek counseling because there was definitely a problem...she has a scar on her arm, I still have not seen it, that she said she considered hurting herself, but not killing herself....someone (again thankfull for this) reported her to the school and she was called into the nurse and counseling office...she said she was afraid to go to her dad's...they reported the situation to CPS...we had a counseling session lined up for her already...when Angie took her on Monday, they said her father had called and without a court order or both parents in agreement they could not see my step-d. My wife has seen an attorney about the court order already....then two days ago my step-d's soccer coach, a women, set her up to see another counselor.....it is getting very confusing here as you can see...we got a call from a CPS counselor last night that said she talked on the phone to my step-d and she, the counselor, is not worried about her safety...some say she is OK some say she is suicidal...a lot of people involved in a week already...a lot of emotion...going way too fast to make sense of all of it...My step-d's father refused to allow Angie to get any kind of counseling for her (this to him shows weakness) but after talking with the soccer coach he said it is OK AS LONG AS ANGIE DOESN'T PICK THE COUNSELING--this way HE stays in control..I guess. I will keep you all informed as it goes along...without being mean here I must add that I truly believe my step-d has issues, however, she tends to add a lot of DRAMA to situations so sometimes it is hard to figure out...so many things have been blown up one day then a couple of days later all is passed. The biggest problem I feel at the moment is trying to get the dad to co-operate in getting his own daughter helped...as long as Angie and him fight over (control) of this....well, it could go on a long time...or...be over soon.

SAMI Tell that ASHLI--"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" I am praying for good results from your testing...my sis, as I said has lupus--the most harmfull one, and my mom has thyroid problems..Prayers. Thanks for the info on my step-d...so glad to see your DD doing much better.

WILMA I hope the weather clears soon for your husband...I don't know how you folks in bad wether places drive without stress! I would be a nervous wreck! Good luck with that evening snacking.

MICHELE Cute cat.. Angie is allergic to cats so we could never have one. I really love the view from your place..I always pictured you in a condo in the city. Charlie...go figure...

SUNNYD Thanks for the comments on my kids...Don't worry about pounds for crying out loud!! You feel better right? after all the exercise? RIGHT!!? Of course you do!! Go with that...the pounds and inches will drop..you know that as you go along they will drop less than at the beginning...the biggest mistake people make is...is...is...GIVING UP!!! You can't quit girl until they carry you away...it is hard...but remember not too long ago just doing a few minutes was hard..now..you can do hours...well, maybe one..on the treadmill. PRAYERS.

SHERRY PRAYERS---PRAYERS--PRAYERS for your health! Don't give up hope dear..HE works wonders as you know...just keep going forward...one day/step at a time and take care of yourself the best you can. I will pray for a solution for your surgery!!! as we all will here...and ya know--wherever two are gathered....Praying for your health daily. To answer your question-- my daughter will be flying with her team on Sunday to Alabama.

WELL--does anyone else watch American Idol? What do you think of last night? or Survivor-- hope Rupert wins tongiht..I will not see it..we will be at the banquet so we will tape the final of Fraiser..we have 5 TV's in the house but I can only figure out how to tape on one of them...hey--off my case...Angie can't either

Off to do chores, Gary

HI TO EVERYONE ELSE--HOPE ALL IS WELL.

Just Read Your New Post Donna----that Is The Attitude I Am Talkin' About.

Things are ok - could be better, could be worse.

Have to have my next cancer check up on June 1 - am praying that they will be able to say I can go on 6 month visits as every 3 months just is so costly. It has been one year since I started the radiation treatments - the effects are still there and will always be there - but I am alive and that is important.

Have seen the eye surgeon re the cataracts. The right eye is the worse so we will be doing that one first. It is going to cost just over $300.00 per eye - but it will be nice to be able to see better again. He checked for the eye disease my mom has (it is heredity) says he sees no sign of it but has put me on a vitamin - vitilux (Spelling?) which is known not to cure it but to slow it down.

Exercise - this is a part of my life now - have walked just over 754 miles and looking forward to reaching 775. I have also been going to the ladies gym now for 5 weeks. In the first 4 weeks I lost 1/2 pounds and 3.75 inches. Would like to see the weight come off faster but need to get the food under control first. But have made some changes so I am sure it will start coming off.

Kids are doing well - daughter (age 15) amazes me each day with what she is learning and how she is growing (she has Down Syndrome). Now son (age 16) is another story. He has come a long way but last week he fell back into his old ways and is having a hard time getting out of it. This lying gets to me - I would so love to be able to believe everything he tells me but with all the lying I can't - and he just doesn't get it. We have gone to the social workers office and completed a form as we want him to be assested. We know where he is academically (on the very high level here) but the behaviors are on the very low level - not appropriate for his age at all. Because his birth mom drank while pregnant there is some damage here and he also has ADD - but for his sake we need to know where he really is developmentally - at this time he is showing absolutely no signs of being able to hold a part time job or to be able to take care of himself without some form of supervision. It makes us so sad to think that the troubles he is having could have been caused by what the birth mom did while pregnant. Life is hard enough but to have more added to it because of what the 'mother' did while pregnant - it is so unfair to the child. Unfortunately most of these kids are either in foster care or adopted out so the birth family never sees the damage they might have caused because of their actions. It has been very stressful lately because one day he seems so mature and the next day he can't handle being mentally age 10 (and he is 16). Never no from one day to the next how to handle the situation.

And now we are having vehicle problems - like we really need this on top of everything else. Can't afford to get a new or new used vehicle at this time so we have to make this one due - hopefully for the next few years - so now all the money we have put away re home renovations will have to go to fixing the vehicle. So much to get 'fixed' before the next 2 years - that is when hubby retires - as we don't want all these extra huge repairs at the beginning of the retirement.

It is good that the nice weather is coming as I can feel myself feeling a bit down - and when feeling this way I don't need to look out the window and see 'yucky' weather. Need the sun in the sky and also the Son in my life.

Well that's where we are at this time - have been reading the posts - praying for you all

May 13


Hebrews 6:12
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.


Beverly held a support group at the church every Tuesday morning. Bev had been enormous before she began her diet, and to the amazement of the entire congregation, she had lost two hundred pounds. After losing her weight, Beverly had determined to help others in their fights to lose weight. Many people found help in turning to Beverly, because they knew she could sympathize with what they were experiencing. Other people had little use for Bev, because her way of losing weight was too demanding. Being a Christian often means taking the hard way, but the hard way always offers us the greatest rewards.
Today's thought: Help me to benefit from the faith of others!

Hi everybody...

Well...the drug tests came back. My son showed negative on all drugs! DIL showed positive on Marajuana & taking a solution to flush drugs out of her system! I don't know what the next step will be. If the results had come back last week during the retrial, he would have gotten custody right then. Now, I don't know how it will happen. I hope she just gives in. She doesn't really take care of them. Her younger sisters take care of them all the time...her & her mom do drugs together. Keep praying...I feel prayers are being answered. Thank you all so much.

Sprout...I wish you lots of luck with your cancer test..will be praying.

Michelle...Hi to you, too. Sorry things aren't working out with Michael.

Sunny...Hope all is well with you...missed you for awhile...see, I WAS reading.

Sherry...Wish we could sit side by side & tutor each other! That would be fun. I've been wanting to get PSP, or some program to make my own graphics...but, money is tight. Sorry your health is worse. I'll pray for you.

Hi Gary...thanks for the encouragement. I've noticed how busy you are!!

Sami...hope you're ok. Say hello to Angel for me.

Wilma & Sue...thanks for the welcome back & encouragement.

EVERYONE HERE....have a good evening...& God Bless You!

Good Morning CEers!!!!!

I'm drinking a little trying to wake up this morning. I have many visits plus a game tonight out of town. I was hoping that my work would go easy on me, no such luck. I totally dread it. I wasn't able to get a note from my Dr yet until we do some testing and learn exactly whats going on with me. She told me to go easy and not over do it, but unless you put that in writing this company doesn't go by that, and even with a note sometimes doesn't.

~Charlotte~

Definitely praying for your family especially those sweet grandkiddos. Keep strong cause you know it will all work out like it is suppose to. Sometime. I would absolutely love us to learn graphics together!!! I wanted PSP also but was told recently that Corel makes a super good program that could be used to make more types of graphics. So, I don't know. The problem probably would be that I would need tutorials and a tutor for it. I have so much to learn.

~Sprout~Congratulations on the 1/2LB and the 3 3/4 INCHES!!!!!

Wow, that's fantastic!!!!!! You are doing so very well!!!! Keep up the good work! Prayers going up for your CA visit on June 1st and your eye surgery. Prayers also for you DS and his behavioral problems and lying. My heart goes out to you with that one. I have a great-nephew with the same type problems that his mother did drugs and alcohol all through her pregnancy and then abused and neglected him all through his young childhood until the state came in and took him away from her when she nearly killed him when he was four. Since then my SIL and BIL have raised him and he definitely has problems. But they have raised him in church and he knows the Lord and that has helped. His mother was put in a Psy hosp for almost a year and finally got her act together, we thought. Then had another baby and he's 4 and she just ran off with another man and left the kids and husband. Lots of prayers for you my friend!!!

~Gary~

Well, Rupert won!!! I didn't see Survivor this time but when he was on the first time I liked him. Prayers continue to your Step Daughter. I understand the issues she's facing since I have been going through this with Kelli. Stay strong and keep trying to get her the help she definitely needs. Praying that the father will come around and finally give in. I'm glad your DD will be flying to "Bama". It's a long ways from CA to AL!!!

~Sunny~

Thanks so much for your prayers. The cardiologist told me to limit my activity until the tests are run and we can see just what shows up. If the diagnosis is hypoxia (low oxygen) I could be doing more harm to my body while trying to exercise. Low oxygen affects all your body, your organs, mucsles, memory, etc... Just taking one day at a time right now until we know more. We talked about me walking and she told me possibly after testing I could walk as long as I stopped with any chest pain, or I may be able to wear oxygen while I walk (treadmill). We will see. Right now, I'm worn out and it's just the beginning of a very long day. The hospital tried to get in touch with me all day yesterday to set up the testing. They called while I was gone, I called them back, they were busy, they called me while I was out, I called back - they were busy, they called my work, I called and they were busy. I finally left my cell phone number but they never called back. Maybe sometime today we will get it all set up.

Well, guess I better get a move on. I gotta shower and head out to work.

Hope EVERYONE has a GREAT Friday and a GREAT weekend!!!!!!

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Martha Washington (1732 - 1802)

May 14


Luke 8:48
And he said unto her, 'Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.'


When all is said and done, the determining factor in our diet is going to be our frame of mind. No one loses weight who doubts he can do it. The mind is a tricky thing, and it will tell us time and again that there is no way we can hope to succeed. It will create all kinds of monsters for us to overcome, and defeating them is not easy. Only the person who is mentally and spiritually prepared stands a chance of overcoming. When we truly believe in ourselves and our Lord, then we can go in peace, knowing that nothing on earth can get the better of us.
Today's thought: God is bigger than any craving my mind and stomach can come up with!