Oh my heart is so full this morning! I'm so happy emotionally and then we have these great people joining us like Sarah-Rachelle and Heather (Welcome Heather!), and then that moving post from Sunny which made me say AMEN! and then Wilma who is so dear, and then Mkay who is so open and honest and FUNNY! I love your wit and you are so dear. This is really such a wonderful group and I love you all!

I can't take the time now, but good things are happening. Sunny, i will quick say, that i haven't met Doug yet, he is in Las Vegas, but is coming out here on the 12th.

Hello to all from Suffolk where it has been a beautiful Autumnal day...shame though that the winds have been so strong there are hardly any leaves left hanging on the trees...those that are , are a gorgeous orange/gold/brown/red color!!

I have two stories that I think will make you all smile Yesterday the bin men came to empty my bin. They usually get it right and remember they have to collect it from the back garden and return it, as I am registered disabled. I thought as it was late morning that they had already been and gone so I let Holly (my Westie) out into the garden and sometime later I heard the runbling of wheelie bins along the back pathway. Well of course I couldn't get her distracted and in to the house for love nor treats, which are usually the way to her heart! So I was quite impressed when the bin-man deftly retrieved my bin from inside the gate without Holly escaping through the open gate...I decided to stay and be on hand to make sure she didn't go out on the return...and watched quite fascinated as this man pushed the bin back in, bent down to say hello to the dog, making sure she was safely still in the garden...and discovered she was holding a chewy stick! I said to her..(as if she was going to reply...))"Where DID you get that chewy from?"...and the man confessed that they keep a jar of dog-chewies in the cab especially for bribing dogs that otherwise might be concentrating on escaping through open gates! Apperently she has been getting one every week when they have seen her out in the garden whilst they have been emptying my wheelie bin!! Thats her secret out!!!

The other story shows how bad my IT skills are!! Ages ago Sunny wrote a lovely explanation of how to include pictures and graphics in one's post and not just as a thumbnail at the bottom. I thought it would be wise to print out these instructions for further reference...so I right-clicked "print" and of course then had to decide which page I wanted to print...oh dear oh dear...I thnk I printed out about 6 pages before I finally got to the one I wanted!! I got most of the posts after the one I actually wanted and the ones either side but eventually got the coveted instructions!! So soon I hope you will see a nice picture of graphic included in my post! I think it will take a few tries before I succeed in doing such a great job as Sunny does, though!!

Welcome to Heather...wow! What a story you have there. Sounds like you belong to a great church family. That certainly sounds like a miracle to have a kidney transplant that has successfully taken when it wasn't a perfect match! Praise the Lord for that wonderful donor from the church. I do pray that you continue to do well. How long have you been married? I can see the joy flowing from you as you write your new surname!!!

Bunna Hello to you in your absence as I think you are in Las Vegas by now...hopefully enjoying yourself to the full! I look forward to hearing all about it!

Sunny...as usual thank you for your beautiful graphics and pictures...they are always so lovely!! Sorry to see you are still being over-run by wildlife! I love nature and wildlife but I think I do draw the line at moles dying pongingly (is that a real word?!) in the house!! I think I will start calling you "Mrs NOAH"!!!

Wilma and MKay I hope you are both feeling a lot more at peace within yourselves now. Depression is a real hammer-on-the-head and I do personally know about it as I suffer with clinical depression and take tablets to keep it under some sort of control. I know mine is largely due to the pain I live with on a daily basis but is also due to life-experiences which I haven't yet worked through! It is so hard...(well, I find it so!) to keep LOOKING UP into where I know Heaven is and where the angels sit ..whilst remembering that the angels are all around us too....

Mitchypoo...you seem to be full of joy and happiness today!!! Long may you be so!! I think you must be SO looking forward to meeting Doug...roll on the 12th!!!

Well thats all from me. Time for dinner...I have got as far as defrosting a piece of salmon fillet but thats as far as the inspiration has got!!

Peace and joy to all. God Bless and keep everyone safe in His hand!!

Teel, you stories did make me smile! thank you! It's so cute thinking of those men giving your pooch a treat. I love the way you talk (post).

Yesterday at PT i did 20 minutes on a sit down stationary bike! I wasn't sure i could do it at all without pain, but i did, and i never had pain. I had an occupational therapist who went over daily tasks to see where i need to improve and we also made some attainable goals...which is good for me to do. One of them is to go to my "gym" and use the stationary bike or treadmill atleast 1 time a week and then i also do it 2 other times at PT. I'm hoping that i'm truly getting over this now.

Oh Sarah-Rachelle~I LOVE your signature and where you put Total LOST FOREVER: You are so clever and what a great way to think of it, once it's gone, it can be gone, forever! Thanks, needed that. And you showed great strength with the cake......not sure i could do that at this point. What a dear hubby you have. Yeah on the exercise and woohoo on having the energy for housework. Just like your son, sometimes it's baby steps for us. Do what you can. I sometimes work in 15 minute increments. Work 15, rest 15. It seems to make the job doable and not so overwhelming. And I tell myself, i can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes. If i thought i had to do something for an hour, i'd probably talk myself out of it. But you dear, have been an inspiration today, so thank you!

Hi Everybody!!!

I'm new here and wanted to join this group. My name is Sandy and I live in Alabama. I am 33 and a mother to 2 children (b&g) and married for 15 years. My weight issue is very hard for me to "talk" about because it's so painful. I have been a rail all my life. In fact, my nickname in school was "Wormy". When I was 22, I began to gain weight slowly (1993). Then in 1997, when my son was born, I never lost the weight from that birth. You can emagine the same thing happening after my second birth. I am now 65lbs. over weight. Now, to some of you, that may not seem like alot but to me, it feels like 300 extra pounds.

I have a very stressful job which I contribue to most of my weight problem. I am a home daycare provider. I have 7 kids here all day long and my husband works from home to. the thing that is so stressful for me is the fact that I personally don't think mother's should put thier children in daycare unless absoluely nessasary. I struggle with the guilt everyday of my life that my career is somehow contributing to tommorw's problem with the next generation. I hate doing what I do ( I LOVE the kids, don't get me wrong) but they need to be with thier mom or a family member. That's just my Christian belief. For me, the guilt is like a Christian working at an abortion clinic or something.

Anyhow, right or wrong, I have to do this right now until my husbands real estate business takes off and then I won't have to worry about doing home daycare. I hope i don't step on anyone's toes. This is just my feeling.

So that's why I feel I am where I am today in my weight; stress and poor eating habits. To make matters worse, we just bought a new house and the neighbor across the street has a body to die for!!!!! I know we shouldn't look at other in jealousy but SHE is living my life!!!!! She's pretty, MAJOR self-esteem, great body, she works out everyday at the gym and she...guess what....STAYS AT HOME AND RAISES ONLY HER KIDS!!!!!!!!! It eats me up everyday!!!! She won't even acknowledge me. When I see her outside talking to another neighbor, I walk ove and the "pretty people" ignore me and I'm standing there like an idiot or some kind of groupy. I want to fit in and be noticed.

I feel so sad and I have no friends. For once in my life I want to accompliace something. I want to play outside with my kids without getting out of breath and feel ilike I'm going to die. I just need to get started. I have all the tools; treadmill, weights, etc. I just don't know why I won't allow myself to commit to me like the lady accross the street commits to herself.

Sorry to ramble. I ate pretty good today but got to thinking about the other ladies around and ate candy. Oh well...there's always tommorw.

Please, please pray for me. I don't know if you guys do that for each other but I need serious prayer that God will feel me with the determination it takes to beat this monkey on my back. I really do feel most days that I am a junkie!!! Pray that my entore situation will change, please.

Thanks for listening.

I am feeling so good for two reasons:

a) Son is returning home on by November 15 - we have all come to an undestanding and he wants to come home. Praise the Lord. But do continue praying as this does not mean that everything is going to be a bed of roses but at least we have been able to start having talks and looks like we could be a family once again.

b) I have a nephew that I am so proud of (actually all my nephew's and nieces' I am proud of) but this nephew has just accomplished something special. Hopefully I don't get into trouble here to asking this - but could you all please go to www.petersoberlak.com - this is my nephew and he has just made his first CD - there is a brief bio on him which tells of his hockey career and how he got into singing. I haven't really heard him sing since he was a wee little boy so when I heard he was doing this I was anxious to hear him. And I am so proud of him - on his website there are 7 songs he has highlighted (30 seconds each) out of 30 on the CD. Take a listen and see what you think - don't forget to sign his guestbook telling him his Aunt Marilyn sent you there - as I told him I would let everyone I know just how good he is.

Thanks everyone

Ok guys and gals and newbies and oldies I DID A WHOLE DAY WITHOUT JUNK FOOD! Wait until you hear my day:

Dad was taken by ambu to the hospital for chest pains. Went to hosp for a while and again tonight after the dr. told my sister that it was his gut feeling that if he has family that they may want to come up to see him. EEK! Lungs with many many blood clots. Giving him hephren and it may dissolve them or they could even move (not good).

The priest from their old church came and annointed the sick and we all prayed in our own way. He just seemed to be so peaceful and oddly enough, I felt much peace as well. Anyway, we all left and just received another call that the clots are most likely coming from his legs (all he does is watch TV all day long) and since they are already giving him a blood thinner they will not be giving him an ultra sound of the legs AND that he is NOT a dying man. If he keeps progressing, within the next 3 days, he should be out of the woods. He will have to be on a blood thinner forever but we will just have to deal with that. WHEW! Amen and Amen! AND...still no junk food! Back when, when stressed over something like this, I would react with anxiety, impatience and whatever. Today...I stayed calm and collected. Not cool though...getting to old for that. DH cannot handle it when I am stressed and acting it out. That's why I have you all!

I even cooked a really delicious chicken (sorry for those who are sick of it) and no snacking after that. Yipppe!

Anyway...back to you...

Dying2lose...go back and read the tactics of satan. Put on your armor and know you are guided and guarded.

Mitchy- You are so right, we have a wonderful group of people here and it makes me so happy to know that you are all just finger tips away.

Wilma- I told DH last night that I was going to wake up as a new butterfly today and low and behold, on my walk today, I kept seeing garden butterflys that people stick in their gardens. I KNEW I was going to have a good day.

Sprout- I will be going to that web site probably tomorrow as it's late right now AND the computer is super fast at work.

Teel- Too fun about the doggie treat. Weather cold today? We are going to warm up a tad for the weekend.

Kylesmommy- Good for you and the cake. I found the other half of that really huge candy bar today...nada, nope, no, zilch.

Gotta get to bed...tired and worn out!
Hugs to all of you!

There is one thing I have to ask since I am a "baby" Christian...that is when I get to goal I *really* want a tattoo on the small of my back of a butterfly or a daisy. I have wanted a tattoo for a very long time, but I have heard conflicting things about Christianity and tattoos. Any ideas on this one??

Thank you!! And goodnight,
Sarah-Rachelle