Welcome home, Melissa! I hope you had a great trip and I'm sure you're ready for some downtime.

We went to the mongolian grill to eat; I had about a half plate of shrimp, onions, broccoli, mushrooms and bell peppers. Judd had two plates, plus some soup, his steamed rice, my fried rice, and a bowl of ice cream. He's going to be feeling it tomorrow if he steps on the scale, but this was for his birthday so I guess he's entitled.

Erin ordered a laptop from Dell the other day and it arrived today! That was smokin' fast delivery! Now Judd's messing with it to get it all set up for her with the wireless internet, etc. We're getting ready to watch the Mavs game since this will either send us on or tie up the series. We are really really really hoping for a win but one of our best point guards got a one-game suspension yesterday (for tonight's game) so this could be tricky.

My foot is killing me and I have a teeny sunburn which makes me hot, so I'm more or less miserable right now. Hopefully I'll be in better spirits tomorrow and can read more/respond to posts.

Have a great evening.

OK, I'm not completely caught up, but I did skim through all of your posts!!!

Kathy, thanks for missing me. You made me smile. It feels good to be missed. It is crazy how close I feel to all of you. I was quite homesick while we were gone but it was at a state park, next to the river, so I tried to enjoy the view and do a little centering. You sound like you've been stressed this week. Is everything going okay? Your dinner sounds really good. Or should I say Judd's dinner sounds really good?

Vickie, congrats on the big winnings!! And I'm glad to see that you got Jim's surgery scheduled. I'm glad you two got to have some fun, you've been too "serious" lately! And great news about baby Sarah!

Sandra, all I have to say is you are one HOT MAMA in that picture!!! You look so great!! Sexy woman!

OK, off to find DH. He is hanging up a closet organizer, and I've been avoiding the work. Good night!

Welcome home Melissa - glad you are back and in good form! How's the house coming along?

Vickie - wow - megabucks! Good for you and I know it will help with all the goodies and expenses. How was your dinner?

Kathy - please send sunshine my way! We are still suffering under grey threatening clouds - and looks like a rainy long weekend - would love a peek of sunshine!

Were you not wearing sunscreen? And can you take anything for the pain? (esp as you don't have to go to work tomorrow?)

Rose - glad you had fun with your grandkids! I bet they had a blast too!

I think Saundra mentioned a trip to Niagara?

I am up too late as you can see! Spent the morning at the nail salon - then did some groceries on the way home....had lunch, folded some laundry - then just lazed around - went to lie down around 4:30 and fell asleep for an hour!

Woke up starving of course and yearing to see the Da Vinci code! Big ds agreed to babysit so off we went - knowing it would be busy! But it was playing in four of the theatres (24 in all) so we figured we could get into one of them? Tried for the 7:30 show - got in - and there were GOOD SEATS (this was around 7:10 pm) - so ended up eating a hot dog and popcorn for supper - washed down w/diet coke - and now my tummy sure does not feel too good!

dh working on his computer - so I am here surfing til he shuts down so we can go to bed - I really wanted to get up early tomorrow but I guess that probably won't happen - wanted to take ds to the museum in the am?? Will see how that goes. Also still have to get to the library for more books and to get little ds his own library card - he is supremely excited about this!

Oh ya TOM rearing it's ugly head which is really affecting my mood! Trying to lay low and not stress out too much or get too distressed by anything!

Hey there! You snuck in here a while ago when I wasn't looking -- I've been checking occasionally to see if anyone would show up. I'm supposed to be sleeping but can't, so I'm watching Monster-In-Law. I can't remember life before having this laptop so I could surf while lying in bed.

I had sunscreen on but this is the time of year I have to overdo it just a bit so I'll darken up. Otherwise, as hot and sunny as it gets here (and for the next 6 months) I would be miserable. Fair-skinned folks don't fare well in this part of the country. I have taken my pills and am waiting for them to hit.

Tomorrow I'm doing a big Wal-Mart trip to get sheets for some of the upstairs beds and a few summer tops. We have a party to go to tomorrow night at our boss' house, who is also a friend. It should be fun.

I'll be back in the morning.

Good Morning Chicks! Jim and I woke up at 4:30 becaue Cassie was crying to go outside. I just felt like I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I'll nap later. No real plans for us today but I have a ton to do around here including my budget since I've been ignoring it for a couple of days.

Dinner was ok for me last night. They wanted Chinese so there were many great options for me. I ate chicken and pea pods/water chestnuts and asked them to cut back on the oil. I didn't eat any rice and had some hot/sour soup. It wasn't very good so I picked out all the tofu and veggies and ate them. I had one forkful of my favorite chocolate torte cake that they had. I came home and had a quarter of a LO cornmeal chicken thigh and 2 Natural Ovens cookies and a cup of hot tea. Not bad, but not great. The worst part is that I'm already starving this morning. My stomach is actually rumbling. My weight is up 3 pounds this morning which must be the chinese food. I'll be drinking as much water today as I can swallow!

Now I'll go see how all of you are.

Frouf, did you like the movie? It got 3 out of 4 stars and now Jim is saying he isn't sure if he wants to go or not. I hope you got to the library and now have some great books to read over the weekend. Did DS take some out with his new card? Has he inherited Momma's love of reading? I truly hate TOM and how it makes me feel. I still have at least 10 days before I have to worry about it.

Kath, I'm glad your heart settled down. I know what you mean about being fair in a sunny locale. Jim and I went to Sarasota for our engagement trip to watch the White Sox Spring Training and I watched him blister in the sun even with sunscreen on. Of course, we were using something ridiculous, like 4 when we should have been using 30. We learned. Jim is even fairer than me. I hope you got some rest and relief from the pain. Your dinner at the grill sounds great and very Core! I've never looked at the rest of the store at Walmart. I usually just buy foods, drugs, cleaning supplies. I could use some sheets. Jim is spoiled now and likes at least 300 plus thread count.

Melissa, welcome home! We did miss you and I know Aaron did too. I hope you had a great evening and a wonderful homecoming. Was Murph happy to see you or did he give you the cold shoulder?

Sandra, I would be SO excited if my Doctor was following Core. How great did that make you feel that you are following a program that your Doctor thinks is good enough to follow himself. What a great support system he will be. Did you all swap recipes?

Rose, did you see Da Vinci Code? I'd be interested in your opinion too. Gold Canyon does have a website that you can order from. I wouldn't though because you need to smell the scents to know whether or not you like them. I don't know if they ship to Canada. They sure don't advertise alot. I found out about them when I went to a show at my library where all home party companies had booths. You could buy their products without having to have a home party. I liked that.

Ok chicks! I can eat breakfast now. I'm going to make a menu thread and then go eat. I'll be back later.

I know I was really hungry....but I just ate fresh blueberries in my shredded wheat and bran for the first time and it was GREAT! I suppose it helps that I was really hungry.

I'm off to catch up on DVR and work on my paperwork. I'll check in on you all later.

Morning! There is so much I could be doing today, I'm not even sure where to start.

Frouf, I'm glad that you and dh had a chance to go out to a movie and relax a little bit. Sounds like you have been busy and stressed!

Vickie, Murphy was very glad to see me. He jumped all over me for quite awhile. It sounds like you did as good as possible at the Chinese place. There is always so much salt, I'm sure the "gain" is a result of that.

I'm worried because we started that "biggest loser" competition at work (and guess who started it...me...) and now I've actually gained weight since then. I've been more active but my eating has been terrible through moving and whatnot.
I do have to say that I did pretty good at the conference. It was a lot of country cooking--I ate a lot of salad bar and grilled chicken. I even avoided the desserts on the buffet and drank a ton of water. I was pretty proud of myself.

OK I'm going to get something done around this house. DH really didn't have time to do much while I was gone, although he did hang up some of our faux wood blinds. It's a disaster though!! Talk to you all later.

Melissa, you'll be busy in your house for quite a while. It's hard to eat well when you are in upheaval and while travelling. Start now. You'll catch up.

Good morning! I'm about to get going on my errands but thought I'd stop in first.

Vickie, I go to the big Wal-Mart about once a year. We have something called Neighborhood Market here that is Wal-Mart but only groceries, nothing else. It's a small store that reminds me of how grocery stores used to be. I just hate going to the big one so that's why I don't! These sheets will be for two guest rooms and frankly, I don't care about TC on their sheets! Terrible of me, I know! MIL/FIL buy our sheets for mine and Judd's bed because for some reason, they are sheet fanatics. They must have given us four sets this year and all are very high count. I'm also spoiled and don't think I could go back if I tried. Another reason I wanted to go to big WM was to buy a wrought iron and wood bench for the back patio. Judd needs to pick it out though so I'll drag him with me whenever he finishes mowing.

Mavs lost last night so we go to a game 7 and it will be in San Antonio. NOT happy about that but oh well! At least our suspended player will be back.

This party tonight shouldn't be too bad eating-wise. They always have a big spread and I'm sure there will be plenty of vegetables, boiled shrimp, fruit ... things like that. Tomorrow I'm going to clean out the freezer and fridge and then hit the grocery store. And THEN I'm going to get Judd to grill for the week -- like chicken, burgers, sausage, hot dogs. It'll be things to take for lunch, things for the kids to eat, and then I'll have the chicken for dinner, either to eat or slice on salads.

Okay, off to see what sort of trouble I can get into. Everybody have a good day.

Kathy, I know what you mean about the guest bedrooms. We only have the high TC in our room. I still may check out Walmart next time I go. We buy ours from QVC when they are the TSV. A bench sounds really nice. I sure do neglect my yard. Good Luck to your Mavs and have a great time at your party tonight. I'll be watching DVR'd TV although I should be cleaning. Plenty of time to start that tomorrow!

No Sandra. I thought I saw her "yolk".

kathy, you sound so tired in your post. i understand about that heat. most folks don't realize how thick the air is there from all the humidity. it's like being in a sauna. be careful not to overdo it and stay inside as much as possible.

happy birthday to judd!!

melissa, it's good to see you back. i'm anxious to hear all about your trip. a closet organizer? sounds like something i need. (you know how i copy you.) thanks for calling me sexy. i bought a new skirt/top yesterday. when the grands saw me try it on, they said i looked like a schoolteacher. i was one for about 30 years. guess it still shows.

frouf, i'm dying to see the davinci code, too. just finished the book. we're planning to go next week. i hate to rub it in but i haven't had tom in almost 10 years.

kathy, i have 2 laptops but haven't figured how to put either on the wireless internet. it would prob be a lucy story if i tried. do you have to have a special account?

kathy, the grands and i went to walmart last night. i got a cute broom skirt, long top, and huge belt. sure had fun. let us know what you get.

good morning, vickie. your dinner sounds good. i'm hungry this am, too. we had a large dinner at cracker barrel last night. i need to go edit my yesterday's menu. i had a lot of wpa's. i am excited my doctor is on core. we were just mainly meeting each other this time as he's new to town replacing my former pcp. he said he's going to check on meetings. i think it would be kewl if we were in the same one. now wouldn't that be a great way to really get to know him?

melissa, you've had too much going on lately to even think about trying to lose weight. now that life's settling down you'll be able to get back on track.

we get our sheets at penneys now. we are addicted to the 400 count ones. we only have 2 beds so we don't have to buy a lot of sheets. well, we have 3 if you count the trailer.

the grands are still sleeping. curtis is alone at the table. guess i'd best go eat with him and keep him company. i'll be back later.

saundra, are you home yet?

i have to tell ya'll. for some reason this am it really really feels like we're sitting around a table chatting.

have a good day. i'll be back later for some more girl time.

Sandra, I've never had more than 350! 400 sounds decadent. I'm hungry for lunch already. I think I'll go snack.

vickie, i get the sheets at penneys for half price. i have to tell you--we're spoiled.

Oh dear I wrote a long post and it went to cyber space.
Good to see you back safe and sound Melissa. Now, I hope Murphy is your dog. You said, "He jumped all over me" hee hee.

Kathy I hope it is not as hot in Orlando as it is in Texas next week our daughter and family are gong to Disney World for the week. They usually go with us to California to Disney Land but I am not able to go until the end of June and they have to go now as it is holiday time for them. I can not get insurance until the end of June(well I could but it would cost me a fortune) They are going to notice a big difference in cost as they usually travel with us on our Air Canada passes.

Froufie, it was you I think, that went to see Da Vinci Code. Did you like it? I was going but the crowds were terrible. I will wait until it slows down a bit.
We watched a movie at home last night.

Tonight we are going to the auction. Have any of you people used a Magic Bullet? I might buy one if they have them tonight. He usually has some. This fellow buys stores our when they go out of business.

Vicki it is too bad the food was not the best. Don't you hate paying out money for food that you are not crazy about? I do think that Chinese food does make you retain water.

Sandra, school teacher, hee hee. Bet you had to laugh. It must be nice to be buying smaller sizes.

Well good folks must go wash my hair and think about what to eat before we go. It starts at 5 pm
blue Skies,
Donna