Hi everyone, been working (nursing) crafting (jewelry) and wishing I could get out in that garden, but more rain and snow!!! We do have narcissus that are gorgeous, but I had planted 4 tomatoes in the vegetable garden and then this, even hail! I'm a die-hard gardner though, so - when that sun shines . . . you know where I'll be!

Shy: I'm glad you're in the challenge too, that would be so cool to be on the same team, but even if not - we can cheer each other on. It has inspired me to set some short term weight goals. You're quite welcome on the rug compliment and thank you for your encouragement in my weight loss woes. I'm so sorry you have the dizzy/nauseated problem like Trish. Prayers are going up for you now.

Rosebud: Thank you for your encouragement about plateaus, I should know better after all the diets I've been on. And, true, there is a slight looseness in my clothes that tells me I'm doin' okay. As to teaching kids, I too had a difficult time getting my 3 yr old class to listen. I brought a lot of pictures and crafts to go with the story that seemed to help. And - not letting them get too wound up during play time. Good luck with that, God knows your heart to teach and I'm sure He will guide you.

Counting: Lucky you!! out in the garden. Tomorrow there's supposed to be a bit of sun, and DH will be gone so dirty fingernails, here I come. Your ticker is inspirational, how are you doing it?

Ladybug: You're quite welcome in this group. Especially with a name like Dori (I'm Dora ;-) ) It's a great group.

My son too has a hard time finding work. The jobs are really few and far between these days. He's desperately trying to make a go, but it's tough out there.

Looking forward to the challenge and talking more to you all here. God bless.

Dora

Hey, hey chickies

I'm feeling pretty good this morning, even though I didn't sleep worth a hoot last night. Lil Sis was up most of the night coughing and blowing her nose, so I moved her into my room so Big Sis could sleep. Well then she was gritting her teeth and kicking me like Jean-Claude Van Damme when she was sleeping, then Daddy came home around 5:20 so she decided it was time to have a conversation. I'm hoping we can both get a nap in today, but it looks like the sun will be shining and I've got flower fever so I may have to make a trip to the nursery, and that could take a while.......... My middle son got a job the week before Easter just out of sheer luck. He was having dinner with his uncle and the owner of the restaurant came over to talk to them and asked him if he was looking for a job and told him he could start on Sun. He only works on Fri nights and Sun. afternoons after church, just enough for some spending money and to supplement what gas I pay for. It took a year for him to find that, the other one is still looking.

rosebud, what are the ages of the kids you teach?

I've got to get myself more committed, I want to lose 10 lbs by this time next month for DS's graduation. Hopefully my body will hold out that long. Have a beautiful day wherever you are!

Trish

Good morning all…
Made it through a rough night…DH injured his back (Actually one of the muscles in his back) 6 weeks ago and did not tell me. I found out finally just a few days ago when I noticed him cringing through a back spasm and obviously told him he should get to a doctor. Well, he came home from work last night and could barely walk. The spasms were so intense that they were literally crippling him. I ended up taking him to the hospital and talk about a God-send, there was a gentleman that was taking a wheelchair into the building just as we pulled up. He was able to help me get DH in the chair and into the building with 5 minutes to spare (this is a clinic and they take their last patients at 8pm). Turns out, he was one of the maintenance guys and he had just fixed that chair! Anyway, doc gave him a shot of morphine and a muscle relaxant and told him he would feel better in about 30-40 minutes. Well, 90 minutes later, we were still sitting in my car because he was in too much pain to get out…we finally got him in the house and were up until 2am before he felt well enough to try to get some sleep (of course after taking another muscle relaxant and a vicodin). He was still sleeping when I left the house for work. He has such a high tolerance for pain-even after all his surgeries (carpal tunnel on both wrists, heart, thyroid, etc) he has only taken his pain meds twice and seems to be ok. This thing had him knocked down. Please keep him in your prayers that his pain will ease and that he will actually take it easy and not go outside to do yard work…he is out of work for 4 days because he needs to take care of himself—not because the doc knew he had yard work to do!

Also, please keep my Aunt Sally in your prayers. She is having surgery the end of this week to remove kidneystones. It has taken them months to actually diagnose this (they kept sending her home with meds for a bladder infection), but maybe now she will finally get better.

Lastly, please keep me in your prayers. I honestly thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown last night. Thinking back, it was probably sheer exhaustion and worry. In the past two years, DH has been through 2 heart attacks and subsequently 4 heart procedures, the last of which was a device implant. I am up at night just listening to him breathe. I am constantly in a state of worry…I know I need to give it to God, and every time I do, sometime during the night I take it back again. I was on the waiting list to speak to a “Shrink” (my therapist said I need more professional help…) and a spot just opened up for the first week in May. I just pray that he and I can have enough of a connection where I will be able to open up and better yet, that we will get to the bottom of my issues…

Sorry this is all about me. I wanted to get the prayer requests out asap. This weekend, I will try to get caught up on everyone and be a more production member of this group…Until then, y’all take care!

~Alison

Oh Allison and Trish - your busy, fretful, emotional roller coaster lives makes my heart cry out for you. Dear Lord, give peace to my sisters in all their struggles and let them see there's only one set of footprints. May God's all-powerful love envelope you girls, and be assured your concerns are not lost on God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Dora

Hi all! Hope you are doing well!

Alison - glad you are back One day at a time and those lbs. will be disappearing before your eyes! You and yours are in my prayers!

Trish - AMEN. And - like you, NOT eating is a disastrous tactic for me. It almost always leads to overeating later. I find 6 small meals works best for me.

Rosebud - how about some containers? They are less work and still so attractive. A few pots here and there. You can even elevate them to make caring for them easier. Our front yard is terraced in 4 levels. It makes caring for the plants easier on the back

Rosebud76 - interactive stories. Puppets, let the kids act it out, anything that involves more of their senses than hearing. The more senses you engage, the more they learn. Touch - fabrics, foods, vegetation, animal parts, shells - whatever fits the story. Smell - use your imagination here. Taste - if it fits - food is always a hit. Give them props to use at certain places in the story. Each child has a "role". Remember that kids today are used to learning in "sound bite" increments. And they are used to multi-tasking. They learn best when many things are going on at once. They study while watching tv, texting on a phone, reading and chatting on IM, all at the same time - well, and probably fighting with a sibling to boot

Dora - Like Shy, I'm calorie counting. I eat about 1200 cals each day in 6 small meals. I try to eat "clean", whole foods that are nutritious with a 40/30/30 (carb, fat, protein) split. I drink plenty of water and try to exercise at least 4 hours per week - doing a wide variety of things - pilates, weights, resistance bands, yoga, walking, aerobic dance, fitness ball, etc. And of course, the most important piece is prayer and devotions. The closer I am on my walk, the easier it is to get the rest of my life on track -especially my eating.

I'm doing well here, busier than I would like, but it is normal for this time of year. The weather is still glorious and I'm taking advantage by walking outside (path along the lake) for my cardio sessions. I love spring!

Prayers are continuing for all! Blessings

HELLO EVERYONE ~ We had another lovely sunny day and enjoyed that immensely. Took NIKO out for a 30 minute walk; and it was nice to feel well enuff to do that. The small lake is drying up well thankfully. Can't wait for the rest of the last drift of snow to be gone so we can rake the yard up.

COUNTING ~ yes, I do containers every year (esp flowers), and I have a salad garden right beside my deck (in a dryer drum) so that is handy. I also have a green house and will still do the salad tomatoes and I may go ahead and do a row or two myself in the garden for green beans, carrots, and onions which are a favorite of mine. I'll let DH have the year off ~ LOL! He'll probably see me and feel guilty and come and help me ... hehe!

SHY ~ prayers for you going up too; I appreciate your prayers for me. Our local hospital hands out masks too; and if I am sick, I wear them while there. Our long-term care facility is in a wing of our hospital and we don't want fragile dears to catch these horrible flus. I was just saying to someone recently: is it me or are the flus more severe, or are we just more suseptible becuz of our age, or is it a little of both???

ALISON ~ Prayers are already on their way for YOU, you DH, and your Aunt SALLY; you have been thru a lot over the last while. We all need support and reassurance now and then. GOD is watching over you and your family; remember to do PRAYERFUL MEDITATIONS (ie the Psalms) before you go to bed to help you sleep. Read positive promises from the Psalms; I find that really helps alleviate anxieties.

ROSEBUD76 ~ COUNTING'S ideas about the puppets and crafts sound fab to me. Very young children have short attention spans, but anything that you can turn into a INTERACTIVE GAME can make all the difference. Kids of all ages loves GAMES and they can learn at the same time.

DORA ~ Yes, I find the NON-SCALE VICTORIES (NSV) to be even more encouraging; I just bought some new clothes and was thrilled to find that I have gone down another size and that makes me feel more enthused.

TRISH ~ you have your hands full with all those kids and one or more sick. Glad you are feeling better and could get some naps in.

Well that's all for here for now; take good care everyone ROSEBUD ^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

Just
I only have that dizzy thing a couple of times a year. They did tell me they could put me on a mead that I have to take everyday to keep that from happening. Ok, lets see, I am to take a mead EVERY DAY to stop something from happening a couple of times a year. This med can cause liver damage. Sure, sounds rational to me. I DON'T THINK SO. I have been going thru the problem with my lungs for years and years. I have had pneumonia so many times I have very nasty scars on my lungs. The last time I had it for 8 count them 8 months and the doc said he was surprised I wasn't dead lol. Only the good die young lol. I give all the credit to the Lord that I am not dead, he doesn't want to put up with me yet lol.

kntry
I sure hope the hubby feels better soon. My gosh, it is terrible when a person just can't do anything without being in pain. Don't you ever worry about your post being all about YOU. Sometimes things need to be all about our selfs. Prayers go up for you and yours. That is what we are here for, to support each other.

Dora
Go in and let them know you would like to be on the RED team.

Counting
Don't forget lol, mountain dew and m&m's have their own special food group lol.

CC - The kids are 3rd through 5th grades. It would help if the parents were involved in church....

KNTRY - Your hubby should see a Chiropractor. I work for one and have seen many "crippled" persons come in with the same symptoms as what your hubby is experiencing and then after a few adjustments they are feeling a lot better and have more movement.

counting - THANKS! I will try all of those things.

Today was a good day! I worked 1/2 a day (on all Thursday's) and then came home and worked in the yard. We have some boxwood bushes in the back yard that line two sides of our patio and i trimmed them up... well the top and the inside that faces the patio... i haven't gone to the outside sides yet... it was REALLY hot here and I wasn't feeling too well. Tonight was WI and i am down 7!!!! YAY!!!!! so I lost the 4 that i gained and then an additional 3 i'm so excited!!!! well, i've got to go update my ticker. OH and I have reached my first mini goal just in time. i've lost 11.5 lbs. yay!!!!

Howdy!!

Today was another beautiful day, a little windy for my taste but lovely nonetheless. I dropped a few nickels on some flowers today, soon I'll only have to buy a few annuals here and there, that is if my perennials continue to multiply and stay healthy. I didn't eat the best today, not that I ate anything really horrible, I just haven't ate much. So I'm worried when I go off to DD b-ball game here in a bit that I'm gonna get really hungry and give in to something bad. I have nothing here to take for a snack, I may have to run by the store before we go.

Lauren, thanks for sharing it gives me encouragement. Those grades are pretty tough ones to deal with I think. Thats not where my gifts are.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and please know that I'm praying also for you. Have a beautiful weekend.

Trish

CC
Everything is getting so expensive. You can sure drop a few nickles on one flat of flowers lol. Yes, good idea, stop and getting something to snack on. Keeps you in control.

rosebud
You are right. There are so many things a chiropractor can take care of.

Shy - yes, we tend to tweak the food pyramid a bit don't we I say, whatever keeps us losing is worth trying! Congrats on 142 BTW! You are doing AWESOME Girl!

Trish - I agree with Shy. Healthy snacks are extremely important to keep around. I have them in my purse, my car, my desk drawer, on the kitchen counter, on top of the microwave - anywhere that I might need them. If they are front and center, I am much less likely to eat something less desirable.

Rosebud76 - Congrats on your loss! You are doing GREAT! Beautiful avatar too BTW

Rosebud - glad NIKO is still doing well. What a blessing for you and your DH. Hopefully our warm weather is headed your way!

I'm glad it is Friday. It seemed like a long week. Got lots of chores to get done this weekend. So I better get crackin'

Hope you have a POP weekend! Prayers continuing

Counting
I could never be where I am today if I had told my self NO MOUNTAIN DEW, NO M&M'S lol. Ok ok, so the kids lock the m&m's in the safe after they give me my 50 lol. The mountain dew, well I don't drink it like I use to. At first I made sure I had a can every other day. Then it was a couple of times a week. Then it was once a week. Now it is every couple of weeks. Stuff just doesn't taste as good as it use to, to darn sweet lol. They need to make mountain dew light, lol half the sugar so it is half as sweet. Seems to me you are doing pretty darn awesome yourself. I am so proud of you. You really do inspire me and keep me going some days.

Shy - Go in where? l looked for a place, but the only place to try to get onto a team was closed. Well, I'll hope for the best. Good luck all and may the best team lose - the most.

Dora

Morning Everyone!

I've been lurking for a number of weeks and have come to trust that your not all a bunch of "extremeists". Had my dose of that resently else where and was being super cautious!

I look forward to getting to know you over this awesome journey that we share.

HI GALS

It sure is wonderful to see this thread thriving! Seems like I can't ever catch up here....I remember days when I had to post "anything" just to bring it to the top.... PRAISE GOD for all our new friends here!

I have been really busy at work, the current job is only 75 miles from home but we hit a lot of traffic coming back. Looks like I will slow down next week...but you just never know in my situation!

Some of you saw it already on another thread, my daughter defended her thesis for her Master's this week. I took off half a day to go see her do it. What an exciting thing for a proud dad Her research for work at the moment, and her thesis, has to do with showing wether or not boys/men more physically fit, in the NAVY, handle situations better and "heal" better when place under extreme conditions, as in the NAVY S.E.R.E.'s (survival, evasion, resistance and escape) program. Exciting stuff. Bottom line ~ her goal in her work, at the present, is to prove that the more physically fit the boys/men are sent off...the better they will return, not only physically but mentally as well.

My son is "calming" in the cheerleader situation with his wife. He still is not looking forward to the day when the calendar hits the high school he and his wife teach at!

Angie and i went to Mimi's cafe for dinner last night. I had a burger with bacon, avocado, cheese on a sourdough bun with 1,000 Island...and fries...so good but OH! SO! BAD!

Angie has to teach Saturday school today, she is taking our golden retriever Rylee in to visit the kids...seems dogs even get the "wild" middle schoolers calmed down and less angry...so they are able to get their work done! I will be here all alone with Reba...so ...haha!

Nephew is off to the desert today with my niece and the husband of another niece of mine for COACHELLA...a lot of music for the young people! They should have a great time!

Nephew had to cancel surfing yesterday...a 66 year old man was killed by a great white shark near us....he was with a group training for a triathlon...so sad and unheard of around here! Prayers for the man's family and friends!

Having our monthly family dinner tonight, this month at my brother's. Not much of a crowd....Angie has bells tonight at church so she will leave early ~ daughter and son in law are going on a 4 day cruise ~ son has a track meet to coach so may not make it or will be late ~ daughter in law has to practice with the squad ~ nephew and others off to the concert ~ so looks like a light crowd...more for me!! ...like I really need "more"

We spent Wednesday evening with our Vicar, listening to the internet as our LCMS's announced the "calls"! He was hoping for someplace warm...he got Fort Wayne Indiana...right back to where he went to seminary!! He is pretty happy though...knowing it was God's call and he does have knowledge of the church he will be an associate Pastor at, for that he is extremely excited...a little more progressive than what we..Missouri Synod Lutherns are used to.Then we went for ...but I had salad first! Little changes, for 9 months now, have really helped since I started this new journey!

Getting daily up-dates of the new God~grandson

Well it is almost 6am...gotta get the dogs up and jumping into bed with Angie...her Saturday morning wake up call...no Starbucks walk for us today...dang Saturday school!

I will be back a little later and try and catch up!

Have a great week-end with your families ladies!

Gary