THANKS MAMA MEL...I appreciate your help with the customers, I KNOW you can handle them for me....smiles.

Chelle...we had that same challenge here at work for walking...let me tell you it is hard getting to 7000 steps a day, much less 10,000 steps, you really have to work at it. Good luck!!

THe boss is gone for the day. I may leave 15 minutes early to get to my next job in time. Kind of funny, leave one work early to get to the next one.

Morning all,

Yesterday, I went for a job interview. That's why I was in such a hurry. Hurry up and wait syndrome is alive and well and living in Brisbane.
Don't know yet whether I have a job or not - probably Monday but I am not holding my breath here.
It's sort of part time and would fit in well with all the work I can do at home when I am not at work. We will see what we will see.

Michelle - sorry you have to take the prednisone, but if it gets rid of it, good stuff. My friend Chris has to use it sometimes to sort her lungs out too. Not so often now as she used to and it has caused her enough trouble as it also robs the bones of calcium and she has a mild osteoporosis in her spine now.
10000 steps is relatively ok if you are working on your feet, however it is a long way if you are a sedentary worker.

Mel - smelling the roses? Didn't notice any around your way when I was there. Maybe you should have a rolling looping slideshow of roses and other pleasant thoughts in the lobby. Cheaper than fish.
Hope John gets bette soon.

Happy - better being busy than out of work. Hope it all settles down soon.

Ceejay - you definitely have more patience than I. I would have told them where to go quick smart. I wonder how rude you have to be for them to get the message.

Annie - hope the headache goes away. Not nice to have to go to work with one of those.

Okay - better get on with it. Things to do, people to see, gardens to be dug.

GOOD MORNING SLIMMING CHICKS OF THE WORLD

I WOKE UP MUCH REFRESHED. MADE A TRIP TO THE LAUNDRY ROOM WITH AN ARMLOAD OF MAGAZINES PEOPLE HANG ON MY DOOR. THAT SHOULD KEEP SOME OF THEM BUSY TODAY. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THERE IS A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT IN MY SKIN THESE LAST 2 WEEKS. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO MENTION IT BUT THEY DID. FEELING BETTER INSIDE AND OUT NOW. I AM SURE IT'S THE ELIMINATION OF 95% OF THE SUGAR-BREAD-PASTA STUFF. THE FUNNY THING IS THAT I DON'T REALLY MISS IT AND WHEN I DO I HAVE A TINY BIT.
HAVE A HAPPY SATURDAY

ANNIE~ DID YOU FEEL THE ENERGY VIBES I SENT YET??? HERE'S A BOLD OUT OF THE BLUE



SHAD~ WILL BE KEEPING FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED. TELL RUTH TO KEEP THE BOOBS CROSSED! SHE DOES THAT SO MUCH BETTER THAN I DO. SENDING GOOD VIBES GOOD LUCK!

Good morning ladies,

What a week this has been. There is a project at work that has everyone jumping like a bunch of beans. I was thinking my work was done for the day when I got a late afternoon call. Lots more stuff to do - must be ready by Monday morning. Worked until 1:30 am until I fell into bed. Been a long time since I worked myself stupid - was so tired I could not longer see or think straight. I still have about another half day of work left - and that's if they don't want any more tweeks of this version. Then we will start the merry go round again on Monday when the next person looks at it. But as Shad says - better to be busy than out of work. Just explains why I haven't been around this week.

As for the challenge - my weight is holding steady - as I thought. I guess the good news is that I didn't eat bad enough to push it up. Did try to make good choices all week - succeeded pretty much so on the solid foods just too much Coca Cola, not enough water. Trying to switch back to tea from Coke too. The exercise never materialized because I was working longer days this week. *sigh* try again.

Quick personals -

Mel, I am thrilled to hear that you are doing better and that you seem to have figured out what is causing many of your issues. Glad the skin is looking better - now keep that sugar away and stress to a minimum. Batten down the hatches - getting some nasty weather there, huh?

Shad - hope things go well with the pt job for you. A little income, a little time for yourself - nice balance. that everything works out.

Michelle - sorry about the prednasone - but you can't keep walking around with wet lungs. Especially as the fall leaves and the winter flu germs start to compound the mess in the air. Good luck with the walking - that's like 5 miles - a HUGE amount of steps to get in each day - even if you do park at the far end of the parking lot

Annie - hope you made it through the night ok. Sometimes when I walk in the door from work and walk right to the stove to start cooking dinner, I feel like I'm rolling off one job and right into the next. But at least my second job is not as long as yours. I don't know where you find the energy - and the time to take care of things on the home front.

Ceejay - the girls are bumpkins. If they make fun of the yard tell them they must be good judges since they mow lawns for a living and perhaps it's a reflection on their work. Raspberries to them. Seriously, if they started making mean comments, I would explain this is why they will be standing on that side of the door for a very long time and a good day to you. ** raspberries again**

I looked up the space station and other objects in space viewing guide. You can only see it for 1 to 3 minutes at a time so you'd have to be set up and ready with the coordinates. That would be like trying to thread a needle with arms that were 6 feet away from your face. Or trying to find something the size of a period on a full size sheet of newspaper. So now I don't feel so badly about missing it. Best you could see would be a star that was moving in the sky - like satellites we see occasionally in dark skies.

Laura - even though you didn't make 100% of your goals this week, it seems like you got a good running start. I'm convinced that we just have to ease back into the good habits again and know that we have a fight on our hands getting that way. Don't know why it's so hard to do the right thing and so easy to fall back on bad habits. A couple of people who have been successful at things (weight loss as well as other goals) have said you HAVE to be mega focused - aka crazy insane no excuses in order to achieve your goals. Anything less and you do well for a short burst and then fall back again. I see their point, am still coming to grips with that concept.

Anyway - I need to get back to work and finish this stuff up. Definitely am not as enthused as yesterday - just push to get it done and hopefully have time to get a few personal things I planned on done.

Have a good weekend chicks.

Annie – Hope you get some time off your feet this weekend. LOL, leaving one job early to go to the other. Congrats on handling the ice cream social wisely!

Ceejay – were the girls' comments re your yard because they're not doing the work anymore? Nervy. Hope you get some peace this weekend. I need to get some cleaning done. It's getting obvious the bf isn't going to do much of anything, and I don't feel like being a nagging b*tch. I will however make sure he mows the lawn because it's really getting long. And then I'll have to listen to him complain about how hard it was to get the mower through.

Happy – Busy is good! Yay for maintaining during such a crazy workweek. You're right about the goals – it won't all happen at once. But I can't see myself being mega-focused on it – I just know I'd start to feel like there's nothing more to life. But keeping at it needs to be a goal in itself, and finding those habits that'll "stick".

Mel – Sounds like the seniors really respond to your way of handling things! I'm disappointed that the US Open tourney is being affected, but it would be good for your sake if your people just holed up in their units for a while and gave you some peace! I hope John gets better soon! So happy you're feeling better after cutting out the stuff that seems to be a problem for you.

Michelle – Hope the lungs clear quickly on the Prednisone and stay that way. Nothing like a challenge to motivate people – good luck! Great to hear that the bp drugs have been reduced due to your weight loss efforts!! I donated blood last weekend and my bp came up lower than usual – 100/74. I was surprised, and the screener took it again – same. I checked my donor site account for my history and there was another time it was low like that too. Still acceptable for donations though.

Shad - Hope you get the job – in your home territory and with time to keep up with the house. Ideal.

Work was okay this week. My desk is just awful though, but next week will be a good time to address this as the boss will be out after Tuesday.

Last night was book club and there was a table full of goodies that I sampled. Even with small portions and even if it replaced dinner, it was not a light evening. I'm not changing my ticker – I'm sure I ticked back up to back to my pre-challenge weight yesterday. I stayed up a bit late after getting back home from book club, and I slept until 10 am today – most unusual for me! I must have needed it, but now I feel like a major sloth. I need to just get dressed and get busy around the house. Plenty of work inside and out to choose from!!

Have a great weekend ladies!

Morning all,

Just got back from breakfast with the family. Lovely sunny warm day here and we went to a little cafe not far from home.
Some new photos of Savannah attached.

Had a bad food day yesterday so the weight is up again from the day before. Annoying isn't it. However with a good day today, it should go back at least a little. I certainly don't need lunch.

Mel - please to hear about the skin improvement. That is good news. Now you only have to bring the powers that be in that building into line, and life would be sweet.

Happy - weight holding steady is an achievement, especially when you are working so hard and unable to get in basic exercise.

Laura - there is always plenty of work to do in the house. Danged if I know where it all comes from but it always seems to be there.

So it's on to todays list and I am about to go outside and finish breaking up the branches of the fig trees I cut down (non-productive fig trees I might add) that were managing to clutter up the guttering on the front of the house with their leaves. Then it is back to more work in the loo. That's todays agenda anyway. Have a good one, enjoy the weekend. Stop and smell the flowers from time to time as well.

Oh and I have added some pictures from the garden as well.

Hello Ladies,

Another busy week, traveled two days this week. I don't mind driving but my back is always so sore the next day. Still trying to get settled at work, still in boxes, file cabinets on back order. You think they would of ordered us furniture knowing we were coming. Getting lots of rain here. We can use the rain, but too much at one time isn't good.

Hello to All... I'll post more later.

HAPPY SUNDAY CHICKS

THANK GOD THE STORMS AND WIND HAVE PASSED. THE SUN IS IN FULL BLOOM THIS MORNING AND THE TOWN IS CELEBRATING IT'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY. WHILE THEY ARE OUT WATCHING THE PARADE AND EATING JUNK FOOD, I WILL BE CELEBRATING PEACE & QUIET
THOUGHT I WOULD COME AND SAY HELLO TODAY BECAUSE I MIGHT BE MISSING TOMORROW. JOHN IS UNSURE OF HOW HE'S FEELING. THIS IS NO WAY FOR HIM TO CELEBRATE IS BIRTHDAY LOTS OF REPORTS FOR THE MORNING ALSO. WE HAD BOTH ELEVATORS BREAKING AT THE SAME TIME. THANK GOD THE GUY GOT HERE BEFORE THEY BOTH WENT DOWN. GOOD THING I WOKE EARLY AND FOUND THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE! HOPEFULLY THE DAY WILL REMAIN QUIET.
HAVE A GREAT DAY

HAPPY~ SORRY THE WEEK AND WEEKEND ARE BEING SO BUSY FOR YOU. HOPE YOU GOT TO GET SOME OF THE SUN ON YOUR SKIN. HOW'S MY POOL DOING????

LAURA~ PEOPLE THAT WORK ALL WEEK AND TRY TO HAVE A BIT OF FUN ON THE WEEKEND ARE NOT SLOTHS! I GUESS EVEN BOOK CLUBS CAN BE DANGEROUS. HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY.

SHAD~ THAT BABY IS ADORABLE!! MUCH CUTER THAN THE ROSE....ALTHOUGH THAT FLOWER IS AbOUT PERFECT! GORGEOUS! WE REALLY NEED TO HIRE YOU OVER HERE. YOU COULD DO THE WORK OF AT LEAST 6 OF THE EMPLOYEES WE HIRE!! THEY ARE NEVER WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN ANYTHING...UNLESS IT IS CHIT GOOD TO HEAR YOU GOT TO SPEND TIME WITH THE FAMILY

PATTY~ YOUR OFFICE SOUNDS LIKE THIS ONE. NO PLANNING SKILLS! HOPE YOU GET SOME FURNITURE...WHERE DOES THE COMPUTER GO? ON THE FLOOR?

Happy Sunday all,

Mel - I'm glad you got the sun for a change. Looks like we are in for a rainy week which will no doubt drift your way so go enjoy the sun at the back door while everyone is watching the parade out front We are about to close your pool up for the season. DH was going to do that today but with a rainy week ahead, I'm not sure what the process is. These last 2 years were hardly worth the time, effort and expense. Perhaps we should have turned it into a frog pond after all Either way, I think Mel will be happy as long as she has the umbrella drinks

Shad - your niecelet is just gorgeous. Almost - I say ALMOST lulls you into a false sense of "I'll have one of those please" Looks like your garden is getting into a nice spring bloom. DH had to cut a holly tree down out front because it was fighting with the miniature Japanese maple for space. I was sad to see a perfectly healthy tree cut away but we had no choice he said. Do you want some of my lamb's ear to fill in your fig tree space? It grows like a bunny

Patty - obviously you are in the worker bee portion of the office instead of privileged characters. There are those who have to make do with cardboard boxes for file cabinets and those who get brand new expensive furniture and carpeting to rest their royal hineys on. I am in the cardboard box league myself. I guess you don't have to unpack if there is nothing to unpack into.

Laura - good for you for being a blood donor. I tried a few times here but the people (several places) do not know how to take blood and they make a royal mess of my arms. Low blood pressure is good. Tell the BF to get out on the lawn, soon it will go dormant and he gets a break for several months, unlike you who have to cook, clean and do laundry all year round

Michelle - hope you and DH and the pups are enjoying your weekend and that your chest is clearing.

Loved your pics Mel - yours too Shad.

Well I'm off to salvage a little bit of this weekend. See yah.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/100-...p-peoples.html

I WAS SEARCHING FOR SOME INFO FOR A FRIEND AND RAN ACROSS THIS THREAD BY CFMAMA WHO LOST 145 LBS. SHE SHARE EVERYTHING AND EVEN POSTED 2 WEEKS OF HER MENUS!! I JUST COPIED IT FOR MY FRIEND. MAYBE IT WILL GIVE HER SOME MORE INCENTIVE TO GET HEALTHIER.



HAPPY~ YES EITHER WAY IT WOULD BE FINE WITH ME SO LONG AS I HAVE MY UNBRELLAS AT MY SIDE I COULD WATCH THE LITTLE FROGGIES PLAYING HOPSCOTCH ON THE LILY PADS!! HOPE YOU HAD SOME TIME OUT FOR YOURSELF. SORRY IT'S BEEN SUCH A HORRID WORK WEEKEND. I THOUGHT OF YOU WHILE I WAS OUT IN THE SENDING A

Morning,
Monday here (again) and it is going to be another gorgeous day out there. Enjoy it while you can.

Today I get to finish the tiling in the loo. Only one more row of tiles to go and the finishing line to go. DS2 shifted the light switch yesterday so the painting can be finished as well. A bit of that to do and hopefully will get a lot of it done today. Then the grouting and the final touches - roll holder, decoration etc. and we are done. Yahoo.

Happy - I think that the pool will be a selling point when you are ready to sell. If you need a froggy pond, build another one (but not as big) but you are right, they are hard work especially if you don't use them all year round. I don't have room for one here, and probably I would not have one anyway even though we can swim here nearly all year round.
The niecelet does not make me feel like I need another one. Sorry. All that work again!!!!! It's nice to just give them back when they get grumpy or need changing. But she is cute when she is happy!

Patty - can't imagine why when offices shift, there is always something that is slow to arrive, doesn't arrive at all or doesn't get ordered in the first place. You'd think they would have the job analysis in place WITH contingency plans wouldn't you.

Mel - yep the niecelet is cute. She's also quite a contented baby as well. The niece is doing well with her. She doesn't put up with too much nonsense and doesn't pander to the baby all the time. Maybe this is a Y Gen that might just make some sense eventually. The rest don't seem to be able to.

Okay - with that, I have a menu to prepare, a loo to clean, tile, paint and grout. shopping to do. So best get on with it. Have a good Sunday.

Mel
Be thankful no one didn't get stuck in the elevator. Hope John gets to feeling better.

Shad
What an adorable niecelet! You seem very content on staying home.

Michelle, Annie, Patty and Happy

I had a good trip yesterday afternoon to my uncles. My aunt wanted to go to Jonesboro,AR to JCPenny's. I bought a couple of tops and a pair of shoe's for work.
For some reason I'm really sleepy. Think I'll go to be an hour early tonight.

OMG, is it Monday again? I am so stinkin tired. My neck, shoulders and face are so tense. If I could afford a massage I would get one. Dang I want a massage so bad. If I had muscle relaxors I would take them. If I could sleep at night it would be great, I would be so tired. If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. Guess I have done enough b*tchin' for a Monday morning. Anyways.............

Shad...life always seem like we are hurry up and waiting on something, good luck on the job interview. The baby is absolutely beautiful. How gorgeous.

MEL...Thanks for the bolt, I think I need several more right in the arse. lol Glad to hear the skin is looking mighty fine. I know when I eat better for me, my skin looks better.

Happy...at least with all the working you are not eating. Unless you eat at your desk and I know you don't. wink wink

Patty...hey girl good to hear from you, my dear.

Laura....I used to belong to a book club and enjoyed it, then they got on this depressingly sad streak of books to read and my life got busy, so I dropped out. Didn't need depressing crap in my life.

Chelle...hope your weekend was OP, got some exercise in, and just basically had a terrific time.

Not much else to report, besides it would be b*tchin anyway about how two jobs are kicking my arse. lol. Thank God for hella bella, she had to piddle this morning pretty badly therefore annoyed me enough to get up and let her out, otherwise I would of slept and slept.

Have a great Monday...

Much love and many hugs...

Happy Monday -

Annie - I hope you had at least a little time this weekend to relax and enjoy yourself. You should get Tony to give you a nice shoulder and neck massage. Isn't it amazing how a doggie's bladder makes an excellent alarm clock?

Shad - Keeping my fingers for the interview. It sounds like it would really work well with your current home improvement projects/schedule. I don't like to take prednisone because it makes me want to eat constantly (which leads to weight gain) and makes me super irritable (read "beotchy" - like PMS times 1000). Plus, between taking Prednisone for my lungs and the cortisone injections for my back...it can contribute to osteoporosis. But given the choice between being pain free and breathing versus bone density, I'll take the breathing and no pain. Plus, I do eat calcium rich foods and take calcium and Vitamin D supplements, so hopefully that will help. Thankfully, I'll be done with this course of Prednisone after tomorrow and it is helping to clear up my lungs. Thanks for the photos! The rose and your garden are lovely, but not as beautiful as Savannah is such a gorgeous baby - absolutely adorable.

Mel - So glad to hear your skin is doing better! Yay! Good on ya' for eliminating most refined carbs! I hope John feels better soon. Thanks for the post from cfmama. Good info.

Happy - Yikes, working until 1:30 am? That's awful! But you and Shad are right...better to be busy than out of work. I'd say after the week you had, holding steady is a tremendous accomplishment! You're right...I've got to get my lungs cleared out before the damp and cold and winter germs hit. Sorry that you have to close your pool. I can't believe it's that time already.

Patty - Hope you didn't get any flooding. Sorry to hear your back is bothering you. I hope it feels better soon.

Laura - Good for you for being a blood donor. I have O Negative blood, so the Blood Center is always calling me. I don't mind. I donate as much as I can...but often my iron count is too low and they don't let me.

Ceejay - Glad you had a nice trip to see the uncles and a successful shopping trip!

I had a busy weekend, but got LOTS done around the house. The weather was gorgeous so even though I had lots to do indoors, I tried to be outside as much as possible. In terms of staying on plan though, it was a tough weekend. Prednisone makes me want to eat continuously. And with this course of Prednisone, they started me on a high dose of 7 pills five days ago, dropping down by one pill per day until after tomorrow when I'll be all done. With the higher doses, I kept wanting to eat and snack and nosh throughout the day. So Friday and Saturday were difficult. Saturday afternoon, I went to the store and got lots of carrots and other veggies...so that if I had to keep eating, at least I could be crunching on zero point veggies which helped. As for the 10,000 steps, I had no idea how much walking that would be! I got pretty darn close on Saturday and Sunday (helped by all the trips up and down the basement stairs doing laundry). And I've already got in over 1,000 steps today. Just gotta keep moving, moving, moving.

Well, better get on with it. Here's to a great day and wonderful week for all of us!

Love and hugs,

Morning ladies,

Monday already. Feel like I got cheated out of a weekend. Oh wait, I did. So I can totally understand what you're feeling Annie. Giggled at the aunt/uncle comment you just snuck in there

Glad you had a good trip Ceejay. It's nice to get some new clothese.

The days are getting shorter, grayer and I'm getting sleepier. Except when my head hits the pillow and then I toss and turn for what seems to be too long until I fall asleep. I feel out of sync.

Yay Shad - loo almost finished - been a long time coming Bet it looks pretty.

Good morning Mel - hope everyone hung in there with the elevator breakdown - I can see how that would get everyone upset being on technical "lockdown".

Hey Michelle - what's this bragging about the Packers? Boo Hiss

Book club spreads can be caloric nightmares Laura. When I was in a group we at one point decided except for our December meeting, we would keep things simple like bruschetta, chips and salsa or grapes and cheese chunks. Also less fuss for the hostess.

Patty

That's about it for me. Sorry to be quick but it's probably going to be another intense week on the job (only 1 more month until vacation...) so I'd better get going.