Laura ~ Hi, Yeah we made Breakfast in cooking class yesterday. Yeah I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to his package.

Annie ~ Yes Scott's package arrived safely. Yes I'm back on the wagon

Happy ~ Yeah Scott's package came on Wed.

No time to post...but I wanted to say to Dee that I'm so happy your DH is still in remission.

Love and hugs to all,

Good morning all,

On the run this morning, we are having a sale at the shop today and I am working all day. Going to be a long and tiring one for sure. I did hand off the fundraiser stuff yesterday so that is good. We also got good news from the insurance company - we had hail damage on our roof and siding from the tornado storm last year. We got a claim for the roof but they were not going to allow us anything but piecework replacement of the siding which would look very patchwork and mismatched on the weathered siding. After going through the motions, they decided it can't be matched well so we will be getting additional monies for that as well. This really answers our prayers - the siding up now is very cheap and was put up incorrectly. And the entire deck needs replacing because it too was built incorrectly and heaved up due to the intense cold of 2 years ago. Between the roof, siding and deck and front door we were talking repairs close to almost half the value of our house DH was so bummed out. The insurance money covering a part of the cost sure will help in the best way. Thanks above for the help

To your question Dee - I was 57 when I was cut from my job and pushed into early retirement. DH had retired 2 years earlier. He was cut from his job a few months after his 25th anniversary with the company. He was 59 at the time. We were 61 and 57 when we moved up here and officially retired. The first year we were extremely conservative in our spending as we were living off our savings and a small pension from DH. He claimed early social security at 62. Thank goodness the stock market has been holding well (despite what some naysayers moan about the current president ruining this country) so we are holding our own. We had equity in our homes and when we bought the home up here we downsized and purchased a house in the price range below what we had in equity so we don't carry a mortgage. We don't have kids and that saves us a lot of money - probably a key item that helps us and separates us from others who struggle later in life. We also both had pre-retirement savings specifically for health care coverage and that has been the saving grace. We pay RIDICULOUS premiums for health insurance coverage. Much more than a mortgage would ever be so we were able to use those savings to carry us through. The sad thing is that those monies were supposed to help with premiums for Medicare later in life but neither of us planned on getting cut early. We live modestly but we do enjoy dinner out each Friday and I hardly ever worry about what I spend. We don't travel because of the cats but I go to Chicago to visit my family a couple of times a year if I can. I'd say the biggest expense by far pre retirement is the cost of health insurance. Everyone I know who would like to retire early can't because they would deplete their savings. Even if they went to a part time job and still brought some income into the home. Obamacare doesn't help us much - the premiums are still high no matter what. Even with the high deductible plans. We are stuck. Stuck paying for those people who stick their hands out and get all sorts of freebies. Anyway, before I get on my soapbox, that's my 2 cents to your question.

My coffee cup is empty and a glance at the clock says it's time to get in the shower and get ready. I have to make a lunch yet and take that pile of old newspapers with me for wrapping items at the shop. Have a good weekend everyone, I will check back later.

Oh and Dee - please toss out the bacon and salami. The commercial stuff is full of nasty nitrates - not what you want to be feeding you or your hubby. Give him blueberries - or any kind of berry, cantaloupe or salmon instead. Keep him healthy and in remission.

Good morning. I have a load of laundry in the washer, I just paid bills, I'm de-cluttering this office AGAIN--it seems to be a never ending project.

I will toss things out of the fridge today, clean the bathroom and then kitchen and hopefully get a couple more loads of laundry done. Then it will be time to get ready to meet my brother, his partners and their boys for a bite to eat before we head over for our 6:30 p.m. balloon flight! DH will be taking it with me. We will be with 1-2 other couples.

I got the call last night that it was still on for today but with this heat (92 is the predicted temp today and we have a dew point of about 77 predicted...that means VERY humid (as it was yesterday).

Happy: I have been singing "Up, Up and away" all morning!

I saw all the posts about pedicures. I went and got one at lunch time on Thursday. I always feel better about myself when my feet and toes are pretty!

Dee: Such great news about your DH's remission. Praise the Lord! I hope your foot is feeling better. My DH is very allergic to any bee stings. The site just swells and swells, so if he gets stung it's a trip to Urgent Care to get a steroid shot.

Annie: Your weekend sounds very busy but fun! I hope you find the shoes you want to find.

Laura: I agree with Happy....the party and colonoscopy....fun times!
Enjoy your pedicure!

Terra: Glad to hear you are back on the wagon. I climbed back on about the time you did. I'm on day 3. We can do this!!! Let's get this weight back off and start smiling when we look in the mirror.

Happy: So it sounds like your commitments at the shop will be finished for a bit after this weekend? I think it will be good for you to take a break.

Be careful to not give that time away....I tend to do that. I'll think, well, I could do it because I'm not doing that anymore. BUT, I'm changing that...I just keep saying, "thank you for thinking of me but no, I can't take that on, I already am committed to another project with no end date:...they don't need to know that the other project is me!

I figure that I am at this weight and size because I didn't say no to enough things that dull my senses, whether it be emotional eating, taking on so many projects or doing for others, that I don't have time to work out, cook well, rest, relax, laugh and pay attention to myself. Well, this girl is changing that. I don't have to save the world! BTW, I just wrote that all down on two cards, one to put in my purse so I remind myself when needed and one on the fridge, for when I show up there "looking" for something.

Michelle: Such a busy gal these days! But it sounds like you are having fun and enjoying your life. As you should.

Susie ~ I'm glad I'm back on the wagon too. We can do this!!!!!!!

Internet playing up. Only get in on odd occasions. Will have to talk to the landlady.

Can't stop

Think it has gone again. Nope this seems to be the only site that is still working. Facebook has gone again, Qantas is not responding. #$%#%^^$

Morning
This is the start of my 4 day week so I'm at work on a Sunday. ugh.
Had some chores to do in the yard yesterday plus washed my vehicle. Sweated through my clothes.
Been having trouble getting into fitday but they must have been doing upgrades. The sight has changed. I will like it once I get the hang of it.

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Susie
I know that I am at my weight due to bad choices and emotional/stress eating. I've made up my mind that I'm going to follow my decisions whether they be good or bad. I need another outlet other than food to combat my stress. Hadn't figured that one out yet.

Hi all,

Was a waste of my day to go into the shop yesterday. We have barely any sales - it was a gorgeous day out and lots of activities around town so not many shoppers. And then after spending 9:30 to 5:30 on your feet constantly, you don't feel like doing much when you get home. DH grilled up some pork chops and made some rice-a-roni, I cut up some fresh vegetables and made frozen corn he wanted so we had a nice supper.

Today we are supposed to go to an outdoor car show. Part of it benefits the shelter. It's a nice sunny day out, hope it won't be too warm. Oh and 30 minutes after sunset there is a configuration of the moon (just a tiny sliver) with 3 bright objects - Jupiter and Venus - the 2 brightest "stars" in the sky typically and Regulus - a true star. It's low to the west horizon and sets below the horizon quickly after sunset so you have to catch it fast. Problem is we have tree lines all over that obscure the view so we get to see it for about 5 minutes before it disappears into the tree line. No mountains, hill up here for us to see either. DH went out yesterday in search of an open spot but he went out more than an hour before sun set and I didn't want to tool around for that long. He came back, picked me up and we raced over to one spot where I got a glimpse of a very large to the horizon sliver of the crescent moon and 2 of the stars. It was pretty incredible. We are going to try and catch it again tonight.

DH is calling me to show me to pick out colors for roof, siding and decking so I have to run. Will be back tonight. Enjoy your Sunday.

Morning all. Sitting here on the sofa with my feet soaking in my foot spa. Just thought I'd soften my tootsies & scrub them with the pumice stone before going out for a pedicure. I didn't get out for a pedi yesterday & my usual nail place is closed on Sundays. I found a couple places on yelp that have Sunday hours, so i hope one of those will work out.

Friday’s book club was fine. Only six of us, which was fine by me. Only four of us read the book. But one of the women asked what it was about when we started discussing & in telling her the plot, we actually had a good discussion.

As for the food...it could have been called "everyone had the same great idea". Tortilla chips (3 of us), taco dip, salsa, guacamole, & mixed fruit (2 of us). Lol. No biggie.

I'm relieved that I've "fulfilled my obligation" & fully intend to ease myself out of book club. I've already mentioned how i never felt like i fit in with these women, but am i wrong to feel like they're being rude when they discuss during book club some of the "friend-y" stuff they do (of which i'm not part)? I find this a bit more annoying than the usual kids' school & activities talk....whatever, I'm done & I'm happy.

Yesterday i lazed around & the only time i got out was for lunch with bf & a dog walk. It was hot & humid with periods of rain all day. Bf went out with friends in the evening & i stayed home to continue with my slothfulness - tv, reading & sleep. Wait, i did my challenge, so it wasn’t a completely lazy day, lol.

Today so far i read some more & made some blueberry muffins. Bf will like them - not too sweet.

The rest of the day will be my pedi and a dog walk. Dunno what else.
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Ceejay – Hope work is quiet for you today. I was in no mood for outdoor work yesterday - good for you gettin' it done!!

Shad – Bummer your internet is wonky...you need relaxation, not frustration!! You get enough of that at work...

Terra – I'll have to hop on the wagon with you & the others. My extra weight won't fall off by itself! Yum, I like breakfast - what did you make in class? Bf just bought some bread for making french toast (we don’t usually have white bread in the house). I grew up eating pancakes on the occasional Sunday, not french toast, but they're tasty too.

Susie – Yeh, the paperwork just piles up AND UP!! Never ends. Speaking of up...how was the balloon ride? I hope it was a go & that you & dh enjoyed it.

Happy – Great to have some insurance money to help with the repairs. That’s part of what causes worries now - big expenses like that. It's even more worrisome in retirement - depending on your lifestyle, there could still be the big unexpected housing repairs and maintenance. And property taxes will always be there & always going up. Cars need to be maintained, repaired & eventually replaced...so much to save for. Good you're conservative with your spending! How did the sale go yesterday??

Dee - What great news about dh's remission!! With people living longer now, the concept of retirement is going to change. Hopefully I can work longer, but at something more fulfilling than my current job...

Hellos to Michelle and Annie!

Okay, time to get my feet out of the foot spa & grab a quick shower. Enjoy what's left of your weekends ladies.

Laura ~ We had eggs,biscuits and gravy,Sausage Patties, Raisen and Cinnamon bread, Strawberries with a little sugar and Hash Browns. I had everything but the eggs and bread.

Laura
Unfortunately we have had a power outage from 2 to 4 p.m. At least I had a quiet morning. There was a problem at one of the substations. Yep, my power was out at home too. But thankfully on at the plant. The Mayor's power was out also. He called up here.

Terra
Yum on the breakfast. I love gravy, eggs and biscuits. But I don't eat that very often. Did your FitDay sight change?

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Trying to let my nerves settle down. Had to monitor from different gauges cause both water towers electronic systems were down. I hate to do that. It' s much easier to read the amount in feet rather than the pressure. The well pumps didn't come on when they were called for so I had to call the maintenance man to go check those. All he did was reset them, thank goodness.
Did find out something today. I can still sprint! I needed to know if the level was reading correctly on another tank here on sight. It was. The maintenance man drove up and saw me. Think I worried him cause he came running too. That tank was lower than what it should have been but I'm in the process of filing it back up. We really need another person up here in cases like this. Then when the power came back on, one of my bosses called and told me to get the stand by out to check the lift stations. I was in the process of doing that when he called. I was waiting confirmation from the lineman. I have a headache.

Monday...bleh....

Well when I went to pick Sissy up for shoe shopping on Saturday her BF told me he called her dad and asked him to walk her down the aisle. I know you all don't know everything from that marriage, but I am very hurt by this. He was never there as a dad, was physically and verbally abusive to me and verbally abusive to the kids, owes me 12 grand in back support that I will never see, I am still paying on a parent loan for Sissy's college, on and on. I know grow up, put on my big girl panties and move one and I had until this. Yet again, I let this b-hole steal my joy for an entire evening as I had a complete melt down on Saturday night for about 4 hours. Was pretty much in a miserable state yesterday. Today is a little better. I prayed like no other yesterday.

I did find some shoes, or so I thought, got them home and decided I did not like them. Going to take them back. Back to the drawing board. Ainsley found some shoes also. She is now complete with her outfit. Her dress is gorgeous and she looks fabulous in it. Little squirt is almost as tall as Sissy. SIssy is 5'2" and Ains is just a half a head shorter than her.

I did terrible with food this weekend, needless to say I went to Olive Garden twice over the weekend. No breadsticks but salad and portabello ravioli. Not diet friendly. Did not lose any when I weighed this morning, yet I did not gain. I have to get with it. Today is a new day. Had to hard boiled eggs this morning, 1 oz of cheese and a banana. Ate the banana as I am surely low on potassium, crampy legs every night.

CEEG....wow what a weekend you had at work. Dang storms, we have had our of them too. So much flooding and flash flooding in the area. One grocery store was closed due to the parking lot and front store area flooded. Get these 4 days over so you can rest.

SHADDIE...poor woman, you are really need some you down time sister. What frustration you are dealing with at that job, weather, internet connections. Hugs sister.

TERRA...your breakfast sounded yummy but not very diet friendly and a lot of bread/biscuits...glad you did not eat the biscuits.

LAURA....one down, one to go. Book club over now colon prep. May the force be with you but not too forceful. lol. I got a pedi on Friday evening. I couldn't stand looking at my toes. Not that I look at them much, but yuck. Hope you were able to get your pedi and enjoyed it. I turn my phone off and lean back and close my eyes the entire time. I don't want to talk, no sirree. Sides I cannot understant them half the time anyway.

HAPPY...were you dogs screaming after your day at the shop? That is a lot of hours to be on your feet. Glad things are handed off, now you can concentrate on you my sister friend. YOU!!! Nice of DH to grill chops for you when you got home...yum!

SUSIE...sounds like you got a lot accomplished at home and OMG how was the balloon ride? I am afraid of heights so I will probably never do that. I don't mind going high if you come right back down, but not going up and staying there. How old are your brother's kiddos?

CHELLE...how is the house sitting going? Are you and Santa enjoying yourselves?

DEE...HOORAH on DHs remission. What great news. How are you feeling? I probably will not be able to retire until I am 65, 66 or 67. Depending on funds and insurance. Long ways away, but I am sure it will go very fast, just as the first 55 years have gone. How the heck did I get to 55?

Hello to anyone I may have missed. Better get this posted, it is my dreaded Monday of yuck at work. Thankfully my boss is in Chicago Tues & Weds, maybe I will get a bit of a breather.

Make it a great day, and if you wouldn't mind saying a prayers for my sanity, that would be most appreciated.

Hugs..

Morning all.

Terra – Yum, breakfast sounded tasty. I’ve never had biscuits and gravy. Did you like it?

Ceejay – A workday where you needed to sprint doesn’t sound good at all! Too much going on…I’m not surprised you needed to calm your nerves and had a headache after that day. I think we need to be grateful to those who make sure water comes out when we turn on the faucet!

Annie- I think you’re entitled to a meltdown, even though I know you wish you could just feel nothing when the ex’s name/activities come up. But you're bound to him through your kids and that's not gonna end. Sorry the shoes aren’t “the ones”. Back to the store(s) for more hunting. Good luck with that. I was able to get my pedicure yesterday, thank goodness. It’s not the best job I’ve ever seen, but better than anything I can do myself. I likely won’t go back there – there was a strong chemical odor in there when I walked in. Re not understanding them – I get that completely and experienced it yesterday myself, but I'm okay with the language barrier. I don’t go there for chitchat, I like flipping through the celebrity gossip magazines, lol.

Hellos to the rest of you, and happy Monday/Tuesday!
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After my pedi yesterday, bf and I went out for lunch at our local taqueria. I ate a burrito, and ate the whole thing instead of taking some home like I normally do. I was full, but it was probably for the best because I ended up having a frozen Smart Ones entree for dinner, which is never enough. After that I had some leftover chips/salsa/guac and fruit salad from book club. I made some lemon jello last night to have for today’s prep.

I’m hoping today flies by. I had a light breakfast – one fried egg, a slice of toast & a bit of OJ. And that’s it for anything solid today. I brought a carton of chicken broth and a couple servings of jello with me to work. And the prep sheet said hard candy was okay, so I brought some of that.

I’m leaving work at around 3:30 to get an earlier train since my prep starts at 5 pm.

Tomorrow’s appoint is at 9:30 and I have to be there at 8:30. It would be nice to sleep in with no alarm tomorrow, but I’ll have to get up at 5 am for part two of the prep. Dang.

Bf has told me I'll never be as ravenous as I will after the procedure and thinks I’ll want to go to the closest restaurant to eat, but I’m thinking I’ll be more selective. Of course reading about Terra’s breakfast and Annie’s Olive Garden today, both sound really good to me right now. Knowing that lunch is coming up and I have a mug of broth and maybe some jello to look forward to is a bummer. I’m such a whiner!! I’ll stop now, get this posted and immerse myself in some work.

Adios for now.