Hi Girls...Down a pound this morning. Should have the 4 pounds off by next week. Made myself a nice crab salad for lunch. It was very yummy! Going up stairs and start working on a baby quilt for my new grandson due in Oct.

Faye...It's another hot day here as well. Have the air on and I don't care how much the bill is either. I just can't stand the humidity, that's the worse!! The animal poster sounds real cute and a great idea. I need to get busy and decide what I'm going to do for my grandchildren for chistmas as well. I've got 8 to buy/make for.

Had shell shock on our trip home with gas prices so high. We only paid $2.69 in Oregon, but got to Washinton/Idaho/Montana and were paying $3.06 to 3.12. The highest we paid was $3.20 in Dickinson, ND! Here it is $3.10, just unreal. Think we are going to call the elevator to come and fill our fuel oil tank before it goes much higher. Hope we have another mild winter, but I've got a feeling it is going to be cold and lots of snow.

How are you feeling to day? Did the swim help? Well I best head upstairs and get started on the quilt. have a good day.

Cheryl

Good morning! Still hotter than a fire cracker here!

Cheryl: We have some of lowest gas prices in the country, but I am sure dreading driving to Indiana next month and going through Illinois, especially around Chicago. Ole Mayor Daley has to get his piece of the consumer with every gallon. I bet their gas is close to $3.25 or $3.30 with his tax tacked on. I think Jack said our gas was like $2.96 the last time he bought. Sickening isn't it? It causes the airline prices to hike too. I will be so glad when I can buy the tickets for our trip next year and lock in a lower price. They are already $300 more than last year at this time. They don't become available until December for July though. My shoulder and neck are ok. The heat cream usually does the trick for me and it did. I was kind of sore at the pool from having to keep my head up, thus stretching that part of my neck, but it went away when I was out of the pool. I have such problem allergies that I can't swim under water. I have tried nose plugs, but that just hasn't worked too well so I just swim laps with my head above water. It isn't pretty or graceful, but it does what it is supposed to do.

We have an all electric condo so I guess there is good and bad in that. With the condo being so old, it is not well insulated and would be tough to do so and pretty expensive I think. We just plod along and pay the bill. I guess $230 isn't bad for running the AC all the time and that includes our water, sewage and rodent/bug spray charge too. We have a municipal electric company and it is run rather poorly. We could have much lower prices except for what the president of the company keeps trying to do. There is some questionable expenses they have.

I have my first Red Hat Society luncheon on Saturday. I am eager to go. I would like to meet some friends my own age in a purely social setting and this seems to be perfect. If I don't click with this chapter, there are a bazillion more in Memphis I can try.

Well, I need to get going, get laundry in the dryer. Have a good day everyone!

Faye

Evening Everyone,

Still hot and humid here. Right now we are having sever thunderstorms. Our weather alarm has gone off twice, just hope no tornados. I would love a heavy down pour, we need the rain so bad.

Faye...Our house is heated with oil for the downstairs area and electric for the upstairs. If we decide to stay here and not move out west, we will remodel the house and have one heating sorce for the whole house.

Had my WW weigh in today and I was up 3.3 lbs, no surprise and it's back on track for me. I would love to have 100 lbs gone by this time next year. This afternoon I cut out quilt pieces for my FD's quilt she is going to make. She is making a pieced butterfly quilt and it will be real pretty when she get's it done.

I'm going to start cutting out the baby quilt tomorrow and maybe start sewing on it. Have to take the FD to an appointment in the morning and then I'm home until Saturday when I have to take the other FD to a birthday party, hurry back home for the other FD that is having some of her siblings and their families here for a BBQ. Busy, busy, busy

Glad your neck and shoulder are feeling better and it's nice that you are able to swim. I walk for exercise and also workout to Richard Simmons tapes. Have a good evening.

Cheryl

Good morning all. I watched an interesting program last night on discovery health I think called XXXtreme Weight loss. It was about different ways people had lost a lot of weight outside of surgery. I had read about the 400+ lb man who bicycled from Nevada to St Augustine Fl and lost like 128 lbs or something like that. I can't imagine what his butt felt like! One of them I found interesting was a woman who flip flopped her meals. She ate her biggest meal in the morning, then a medium meal for lunch and cereal or something like that in the early afternoon for dinner. She lost like 170 lbs in a year or something like that and has kept it off for 7 years. It was an interesting show, but I didn't get to finish the last 15 minutes of the show.

Cheryl: How long have you been on WW? I sure know a lot of people think it is the best thing. I used to do RS, but I have such bad knees that it got too hard to bounce up and down and such. I walk or treadmill it in the fall and winter and the pool from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I am in a slump again and not dieting though I do go out and swim everyday. I let stress get to me and I have had a lot of stress the last few weeks I have put upon myself. It is not so much I stress eat, I just don't follow a plan.
Have fun with the quilt!

Not much going on in the southern part of my world! I will talk with you again soon!

Faye

Hi everyone..ive been busy babysitting and running errands today with the hubby.. thats always an adventure ..plan on going to bingo tonite with my dd..i had a phone call and a lady from anchorage has orderd 200 greeting cards..so that will keep me busy for awhile.. im waiting for some supplies to get to me befor i start tho..she has ordered from me before and likes my work.. and it gives me a profittable project..seems you are all still having hot weather and i feel sry for u all..we have had the coldest summer i can remember since i lived in alaska..but ill take the cold over hot any day ..hope u are all having agreat day..rosey

DRUM ROLL PLEASE........WE HAVE RAIN!!!!! It is raining gangbusters this morning. So much so that I looked outside, told our yorkie I wasn't sure he wanted to go out there, but he had the distinct "crossed legs look" so I opened the door, he went out and zoomed right back in. We keep puppy pads down in one of the rooms just for that reason so he hurried to them and went. I am hoping this hard rain will cool things off and NOT make them worse.

Rosey: Sounds like you have work ahead of you. Do you paint cards? I don't like extreme heat, but I just can't take the cold anymore so I think I am opposite of you. I just stay indoors when the heat is so very bad.

My first lunch with my Red Hatters is tomorrow and I am looking forward to meeting some new ladies. Hopefully I will like the group and eventually maybe make some friends I can socialize with outside the chapter. I am stuck in this house so much that I do get lonely. It is just silly for us to buy a second car for the other one to sit in the garage. I don't KNOW anyone here and since I don't work, don't have an outlet to get to know anyone here. I guess it is a really good thing my husband and I get along so well and enjoy each other's company so much.

Jack took the day off to go to his PT, then it is commissary day, which you ladies will find I gripe about everytime I have to go out there. The Navy base here has been scaled way back for several years. They removed all the aviation electronic schools, shut down the hospital, the clinic to all buy Active duty personnel etc. A few years ago they decided to move Navy records etc to Millington so there are mostly accounting personnel here now so the bulk of who goes to the commissary are retired people and old folks in scooters are so RUDE! I hope when I get elderly and if I am incapacitated I don't act like I own the world and everyone should get out of my way. They block the aisles to sit and talk or argue with their spouse, they run you down, if they are mobile they come in with their spouse and fight over the laundry detergent size to buy and stand in the middle of the aisle to do it so you can't get around. These are just a few things I usually encounter. I hate to grocery shop and want to get in and out and not mess around. On top of that, last time they had NO plastic bags so had to bag in paper and I HATE to have to carry paper bags into the house because it takes twice as long. It took forever to drag it all in last time. Anyway, it is not one of my favorite things to do, but I have to get the groceries today.

I guess I better go. You all have a great day and nice weekend. I will talk to you soon.

Faye

Hi Ladies...I have just spent half an hour typing a long post to you all and submit it and it said I wasn't logged in, when I was and I lost it!!! Hope this isn't a start to a rotten day.

Rosey...Can't wait for the cooler weather to get here. Looks like we will have a warm fall unless things start changing soon. Do you use paint or pencil on your cards?

Faye...Hope you meet a lot of nice gals at the Redhatters. Did you buy a hat yet? I've been with WW since January this time. Wish I would of stayed with it three years ago. Yeah!!!! you got rain, so did we. Made the humidity worse here, but we need the mositure so bad. Here you about the commissary. Glad I don't have to shop there anymore. I shop in town, early in the morning before most people are up.

Well gals, this is a shorter version of what I had previously typed out. Hope you all have a great day.

Cheryl

Morning everyone..its raining buckets here to and still cold and windy..i use many diff things to make cards..all sorts of pretty paper, stamps, stamps pads, markers, colored pencils, paint,glue, fabric, ribbons, buttons, stickers,glitter,brads, wire, thread,punches and speacial scissors.. just about anything..i have word stamps and quotes and picture stamps and use several tecniques,cutting pasting and embossing with a heat gun..each one is unique..i went to a close to my heart stamping party(like atupperware party) and the rest was history ..i was hooked and am self taught..but have taught others how to do it..its fun and carrys over to scrapbooking my other passion..besides the sewing, quilting , and cross stitching etc..no wonder i hate house work as it interfers with my hobbies and my kids complane about all the "crafty fluffs" they get on their socks when they visit..id be nuts without my crafts and i bet you all are the same too..Faye your discription of shopping cracks me up..i could be one of those on a riding cart but im never rude.. just abad driver i like to grocery shop but not with my hubby..hes to impatient and does argue.. i have more fun with my dd and grdd.. anyways it was funny.. am glad u are all getting rain and hope it cools off.. have agreat weekend everyone((((((((( )))))) rosey

Good morning gals! Back to the heat wave for us! The AC is running non stop again.

Rosey: Sounds like you have a lot of fun with your crafts. I had to quit cross stitching because of arthritis in my hands, but I used to like to do that and have several examples in my home. I used to make stuff for my mother and mother in law. My mom loved it my mil sold it in yard sales! To say the least, she was a difficult woman to please. Believe me, it wasn't because she was a high brow. She lived in Texas and New Mexico, wore moccasins and double knit pantsuits! It upset me some when my mom died that my scummy stepfather wouldn't let me have the things I made her. It was NOTHING of value, just some wallhangings, pillows etc. They were dairy farmers and my dd had been buying her grandma Mary Moo ceramics and wanted them as a momento of her grandma and he wouldn't let her have them. I have had NO contact with him in 8 years so don't know whether he is even alive or not and don't care. He helped my mom to die early by refusing to allow the doctor or any of us tell her that without amputation she would die.and for that I forgave him, but don't have to like him!!! She died about a month later. I have a bunch of scrapbooking, but really don't have the space to do the stuff much. I am notorious about not getting my digital pictures made into prints too so they are all on my computer instead of in an album. I told Jack we really need to get them made into prints (we have a printer that will print them too but it takes so much ink it is cheaper at a store) and then make some vacation albums, one for each year we went to Vegas. I took enough photos for it.

Speaking of Vegas, we were messing around trying to figure out where we wanted to stay etc and I checked flights. The airlines, the day the new "rules" came out upped the flights 10$ a person. I can't get the tickets before January because they won't be available so I am crossing my fingers they won't continue to go up. We decided to cut back the trip by one day and wait to go until around Labor Day next year. That is what we did last year and it was still nice and hot. We also cut back to two shows since we are going less days. We were going to treat ourselves and stay at the Venetian, which has gorgeous rooms, but I started looking at restaurants etc and everything is what I call foofoo food. Even their cafes. I mean, $15 for a tuna SANDWICH, come on! It also has no hotels around it that have little coffee shops or diners or whatnot. The Treasure Island has this diner, but we got a soft drink there last year waiting for the Sirens show and I wasn't impressed. It was dirty and sloppy looking. So, we are back to staying at the Ballys, which is in the middle of the strip, has great food sources, a neat Tequila bar and you can walk through it right into the Paris as they are connected. The Paris has a nice french bakery where you can get croissants etc too so all in all that would be a better place to stay.

Today we are taking Thomas, our grandson to see The Ant Bully. I know Jack is excited! He isn't much for kids movies, but wants to spend some time with our grandson. We are looking forward to it. I promised him a couple weeks ago when we took him to Chuck E Cheese we would find time to take him to the movies to see this movie.

Next week is get the car tags (Jack wants to get specialized Navy Retired tags this year), Jack has a PT session on Wednesday, then on Thurs he has his nuclear stress test. Busy week.

I guess I better get my morning chores finished. When Jack gets up I will get the bed made and the basket of clothes put away that he brought upstairs for me last night. We have to meet my dd and grandson at 11:45.

have a great day everyone!

Faye

Afternoon ladies, Thought I'd better pop in and say Hi!! Had a really busy day with the Fd's family picnic. Had to have it in doors since we still have rain, but I'm not complaining. It was still raining this morning and we are in the 70's. Love it, love it!!! Tomorrow one of the FD's starts volleyball practice and then school starts next Tuesday. I can't wait for my days to get back to normal and all the running around I do with the FD's to slow down some.

Going to be nice to get back to getting my exercising done early and be able to do more sewing.

Faye...How was the Red Hat meeting? How was the movie with your grandson?
Think I'm going to go up and do something in my sewing room, but haven't decided what. Have a great day.

Cheryl

Good morning gals! Haven't been outside this morning but I imagine it is hot and sticky. It is a sad same story with us.

Boy, the pool is a mess. I got a call from one of the board members last night saying the pool has to remain closed for another day or so. I guess Friday night a bunch of people TORE DOWN THE BACK FENCE to get in and had a party at 3 AM. I don't know how they got caught. Our bedroom is on the back side and we use small fans at night so we don't hear much. On top of that, they ripped out the underwater light and no one can go back in until it is fixed, hopefully some time today. {{{SIGH}}}

Cheryl: I ended up canceling for the luncheon and will go to the combined on the first part of September. We had fun with Thomas. The movie was really cute. Just to give you a little insight into my dd's family.....I asked Thomas if he'd had lunch yet as the movie started at
12:10. He said no so I told him we would get him a hot dog or something. He told me he wanted...SUSHI!!!!! They have different kinds of sushi at this movie theater so Thomas got California rolls, which I believe is rice rolled around seaweed and veggies like cucumbers or avocado. He had sushi and lemonade! I think there were 6 or 8 rolls and he gobbled all but one of them right up. Jack wanted some candy so he ask me if I wanted anything and I said junior mints and Thomas said no he was full. Well, I think I got about 6 of the junior mints and Thomas ate the rest. I held the box between us and he kept dipping his hand in. When we met up with his mom she said she thought he didn't like the junior mints and I didn't hear what he told her. Guess Nonny's mints must have tasted different! We were supposed to meet her at 2 at the Ben and Jerry's, which was just a walk across the parking lot, but she was at the theater early and was waiting for us. We went to the ice cream store and Thomas wanted a scoop of "Phish Food" so he asked me if I would share and I said yes, so we shared a scoop of ice cream and I slipped him a $20! His mom asked him if he ASKED for the money and I told her absolutely not. She didn't believe me, but I kept at her that I gave it to him. She said, "You two are so bad." Jack said, "Kelly, he is our only grandson." She said, "Yeah, but you are still bad." I was talking with Thomas about Ben and Jerry's and he told me Phish Food was the only kind he had ever had because it had to be chocolate. I told him I had tried different kinds, but I liked Phish Food too and we could always share because Nonny only liked the chocolate kinds too.

Bless her heart my dd has this horribly rare case of an eczema type disease that has this long name that starts with an "H." It appeared about 2 years ago on her left thumb and has gotten progressively worse; all over her hands, on her feet and on her back now. She was just diagnosed and it is basically untreatable, cannot be cured, she cannot eat a ton of foods, no fish, shellfish etc of any kind, whole grains, anything that has a tinge of any kind of metal in it, no canned products at all most fruits and juices, no caffeine, soft drinks, coffee, tea etc is out and the list goes on and on. They gave her a shot of steroids, she has cortizone cream and takes some kind of pill form I think. She has to see a therapist about her stress too as it makes it flair up worse.

I want to get a couple pair of jeans for this fall and finally found a place that makes them big enough for my huge behind. I have to get them to fit my behind then the waist is huge on me. I think I am going to get a pair to take to Indiana in case it is cool in Chicago for the game. I dread stuffing my big behind in those little tiny seats at the ballpark though.

I need to get chores done and start my cleaning for the day. Have a good day girls!

Faye

Evening Ladies...Sorry I was MIA yesterday, so much is going on with one of the FD's in volleyball in the morning and then meetings in the afternoon. I have 1.5 pounds still to loose to get to my pre-vacation weight. Going to be out of town tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be able to go to WW. Just gives me another week to work off the 1.5 lbs.

Faye...You are so lucky to have your grandson close by to love and spoil. I'm jealous I send cookies to the grandkids for Halloween, Christmas and Valentines Day. They really get upset if I get busy and I'm late sending.

Sorry to hear you are not able to use the pool for a few days. It's too bad we have people in this world that don't respect other people's property!!! Hope they find out who is responsible!!!!

When do you go on your trip to Indiana? We drove through a part of Indiana on our way back from Michigan to Chicago last summer. I would love to go back and visit some of the Amish Quilt shops.

Our warm weather and humidity is back. I won't complain since we got two days of much needed rain and it sure made a difference in our yard and the corn and soybean fields around us.

Well I still have a few things I need to get done before I go to bed. Jim will be home soon, he had to put in a call day and has training on Thursday, so it will be another 8 day work week before he get's four days off. Hope to have some alone time with him.

Have a good evening and I'll talk to you later.

Cheryl

Good morning gals! Same ole same ole here. Hot and humid. Supposed to be 91 today. I am sick of this heat now and ready for a little fall coolness. NOT cold, just in the 70's would be nice.

I got a call from the board member that keeps me up to date. I went to the pool yesterday morning, it was locked with the lock inside the gate and a typed sign stapled to the clubhouse that said the pool was closed due to vandalism and safety. She said they voted night before last and decided to close it for the year so no more pool for me. It is way too hot to go out even in the morning and walk right now so I am just going to bide my time until it gets a bit cooler than buckle down for fall and winter and spring to lose my 100 lbs for vacation next year.

Cheryl: We leave for Indiana Sept 12 and come back that Sunday. Short trip, but they usually are going up there. My son lives in South Bend about 4 blocks from Notre Dame, actually. I grew up in a small town of 1600 about 20 miles south of South Bend. I was born in Mesa Arizona but lived my whole childhood in North Liberty and South Bend for a couple years. I literally lived in a clone of Mayberry. It was very much like it. We had a drugstore where you could get nickel ice cream cones, a lunch counter where you could get the best lunch for $.30. It was a ham salad sandwich, chips and a coke. We used to run there during our school lunch break and have it. There were two other restaurants in town, a barber shop, a Harvey's Five and Dime, that had wooden floors that squeaked when you walked around in them, two groceries stores, one was a small IGA and was owned by my Uncle Carl. He had this great selection of penny candy. There were 2 bars in town, a laundromat, the post office, which still works the same way today, didn't deliver mail, you had to rent a post office box. It had several churches and even had a bowling alley, which my mom wouldn't let me go to because it served alcohol. I loved living there as a kid, but when I went back and lived there for a couple years as an adult with Jack and the kids I HATED every minute of it. I lived a mile from the school and walked to school everyday. Were you in Napanee or Middlebury? There is this great shopping and restaurant complex run by the amish in Middlebury called Das Essenhaus. When we visit up there we always take our friends and go to the restaurant to eat. It is fabo. They have tons of small shops that sell all kinds of things. I don't get to see my grandson but about once a month even though they only live across town, but I cherish the time I have with him.

Well gals, I want to get the upstairs bathrooms cleaned and the dusting done so maybe I will get started. Everyone have a good day today!

Faye

Hi Gals...Just a quick pop in to say hi. I've been under the weather the last couple of days. All I have done today is sleep and I feel like crawling back in bed and sleeping till tomorrow.

Faye...I will have to look at a map, but I think it was Middlebury. Didn't have time to stop, but I want to go back! I grew up in Ashland, Oregon and it had about 16,000 people. It is famous for the Oregon Shakespearian Theater that now goes year round, but when I was little it was only during the summer months. Couldn't pay me to move back. It is a tourist town and the hippies have moved in also. But things never remain as they seem when we were children. I do remember the little corner store where 10 cents would buy you a sack full of penny candy.

My kids quilt is ready for pickup from the quilter. Jim was going to pick it up on his way to work this afternoon. I can't wait to see what she did on it.

Have a good weekend. Sorry the pool is closed for the year. Too bad people have to ruin it for others.

Cheryl

Good afternoon ladies. I just realized I didn't even check the post today. Hope you are all doing ok.

We are going to Olive Garden for dinner tonight for my sil's birthday. We try and take the kids out for their birthday's and Tom's was this last Wednesday, the memorial day that Elvis died. That is a whole other story. Wall to wall mourners here every year. I know there are huge fans of Elvis, but I think it is stupid to spend money to come here and walk past his grave every year. Save your money and I will email you a picture! You have to admire his fans for their persistence. I don't see huge crowds (we get upwards of 10,000 every year) that go to any other rock n roller's grave. It just seems a little sick to me is all. Let the man rest in peace for heaven's sake.

I got up this morning and put on a gown to come downstairs and got stung on the behind by a wasp!!! Sheesh! I thought at first it was just a nerve tingle I get every once in awhile on my body, but I remembered I saw a wasp last night in the bedroom and when I went to kill it, it flew away and I couldn't find it. When I got downstairs I looked at it in the mirror and sure enough I had gotten stung so I sat on an ice bag for about 45 minutes! I am one of those crazy women that sleep nude and have for probably 30 years so the thing must have crawled into my gown that I left on the bedside table before I went to bed. Of course Jack had to make a cute comment about it.

Nothing much going on here so have a good weekend and stay cool. Our heat index is 106 today! Whew!

Faye