Good morning ladies,

Valerie - Hope you're feeling better this morning. Major cool on the trailer unloading. Spanky has decided that he isn't going to load into the trailer anymore. Glad to see that it was a great day and absolute fun for the girls.

Lilion - Fat, you're not. Fat isn't what you want to go back to! Get it together and get back OP. You don't want that scale going back up.

Luja - Half marathon! Holy smokes. That will be a great NSV. You can do it. Get to training!

I better scoot. Once again, I'm trying to get out of the house and to work earlier that I have been lately. Mainly so that I can come home earlier and not feel guilty. Nothing like dedication. To my own life that is.

Have a great OP day! Its Monday, a day of beginnings again.

Good morning Terri,
and all of you lovely ladies that I know will be here later.

It feels nice and crisp this morning. I love this time of year almost as much as I love spring. I could get out and have my coffee on the patio or breezeway, that is if I didn't mind getting eaten alive by mosquitoes! No thanks!

Monday again! I have to admit that I will be starting again this morning to try to keep myself op. It seems as if every weekend I fall off the wagon. It makes me furious with myself! I can't explain why I do that. When I think about the whole year I was able to stay op and never cheat at all, I wonder why the heck I can no longer do that. I have either gotten weker willed or weaker in the noggin. I wouldn't bet on which it is.

Val, that was some nasty stuff I had. I hope you are feeling better. At least I didn't have to go to work. UGH! I couldn't stay out of the potty place!

Well ladies, time for me to get busy. I think I am washing windows this morning. Oh Joy! Have a good one. Ta for now, Ruth

Hello ladies. Last week was a killer, so I was MIA. I had something extra every single evening last week--Monday we had dinner with a visiting writer, Tuesday was a long meeting with the new University president followed by the visiting writer's reading followed by a reception, Wednesday my creative writing group met at my place (and I had to feed them) and Thursday evening I was doing a guest lecture in someone else's graduate class. And that was all on top of normal days of classes and advising and meetings!

Luckily this week there's not a lot of extra stuff, but I have two big stacks of papers to grade.

My scale is up due to Tom-ticipation. I hate that. I'm going to assume my "real" weight is still somewhere around 314 (the scale said 318). My goal at the end of October is to be below 310. So, 5 pounds down from my pre-Tom weight.

I'm starting a yoga class this week... I'm thinking about joining Curves too, but I haven't quite worked myself up to that yet.

Lilion, I'm glad Octoberfest at least was a stress relief for you.

Terri and Valerie, Hope all goes well with the nerve-wracking horsies.

Hello and hugs to everyone else.

Angela -- Ugh. All that extra stuff sounds completely draining. I slogging along but am getting buried. This year I am on the committee that evaluates other faculty and man that's a lot of work! I feel like everyday is a marathon.

I'm having bad cramps to boot. At least this explains why I inhaled all the food I did yesterday...

Good morning ladies,

I'm up early and have exercised two mornings this week. Woohoo! Boy but my shoulders feel out of whack and the muscles all tight. I need a good chiro adjustment followed by a massage.

I had a really good food day yesterday as well. And I've journalled it. Last night's exercise was two hours of being outside after work. I just felt the need to be outside and moving around after being trapped in an office all day sitting. I did some trimming with the string mower, swept the barn, and worked with Phoenix for an hour. Now he's decided that being saddled freaks him out. So everything I did was on the ground last night. Too bad it gets dark so darn early now. I was hungry by the time I came into eat. So I did overeat some at dinner (those darn German dumplings). But no red cake or other sweet evils after dinner.

You know how you're always amazed when kids are more thrilled with playing with the boxes instead of the toys inside? The three pups are having a blast playing tug of war with an old horse fly mask. And they have a plastic diet coke bottle that they chase each other over. The little things in life that are wonderful to just sit and watch.

Angela - That pre-TOM gain can be so discouraging even though we know its going to happen. Wish there was a way to avoid that. But you're doing great in spite of your busyness. You'll make that 310!

Ruth - Hi, painting anything this week?

Heather - Hope the hungries was just a one day event. Hate when those happen.

I better go feed the pups. They just had a skirmish which might have been play but had just a feeling of seriousness about it. Those girls are tough. And the horses would like to be fed too.

to all! Make today a great OP day!

Terri -- Those pups sound like lots of fun AND lots of work. Sounds like getting out did you some good yesterday!

My food-fest appears to have been a one day event this time around. Thankfully.

Morning to everyone else!

Good morning ladies,

I slept through exercise this morning. I have had time to sit here and druel (sp?) over a Michigan plant catalong. OMG, the most beautiful blue heron tulip and midnight hyacinth. I must have them. Now, where to begin my spring flower garden? Oh, an azure allium. Stunning.

Sorry, lost my mind there.

Yesterday was absolutely a horrid food day. I have no idea what happened to me but it was in the name of Kripsy Kreme. The more I ate, the more I wanted to eat. At least they were far enough away and that I had to walk in front of people to get to them, or else three would not have been all that I ate. And a bag of M&M's on top of that. The only thing I can say is that I had a blinding headache and food seemed to be the way to make it better. However, the headache was because of a kink in my shoulder/neck and had nothing to do with being hungry.

DH made the most wonderful fall stew last night. Pork and apple cider stew. With sweet potatoes, onions and carrots. Gads, the flavor was amazing. I'll get it typed up this week and share. Lilion, I still owe you the portabella lasagna.

I don't know much else. Oh my, how about Glory of the Snow with its sky blue blooms???

Better get away from the desk and the catalog and off to work. I still can't lurk at work because of the porn site. But I am getting some magazines read on my lunch hour now.

Oh, and I took a stretch band to work yesterday. I usually shut my office door when I eat lunch. Yesterday, I did arm toning with the band because why not and it helped loosen up the muscles from sitting at the desk all day.

to all!

Good morning ladies, Is everybody perky this morning?

Nope terri, no more painting! We did the last bathroom and even refinished the cabinet in there. Now I am doing that thing that you like to do so well. Cleaning up my office. UGH! Sorting through papers and trying to decide what to keep and what to toss. I wish I could just toss it all. Sure would make the job easier.

Lilion, How are you? Less stressed I hope.

Hello Angela and Heather, You two sound busy. OHHHH, I am glad I am not in school as student or teacher.

To all you other ladies

Ta for now, Ruth

Terri -- please do share the recipe -- sounds wonderful


*ugh*

Confession time. It's week 4 of a 10 week term. Yesterday I hit the place where I just didn't care what I ate, and I overate. The damage wasn't significant (300 calories or so), and the food was regular stuff I normally eat, but it's my attitude that disturbs me. This is how the weight gain started last term. I got overworked and stopped caring so much about what I ate. And I KNOW it's happening when it's happening and I JUST DON'T CARE at that moment.

So, I had a good long talk with myself in the shower this morning and I'm ready for a new day. I have already planned another workout for the week (for stress relief and calorie burn ), have written down everything I ate yesterday.

I think the long term strategy is to not let work overwhelm me... but right now I don't know how to do that.

Anyway, I'm just saying it to say it. Thanks for listening!

Heather,

I know exactly what you're talking about. The rhythm of the semester just escalates... and when we're most under stress is when we're most likely to crack. Sounds like the damage was small.

For me I'm wondering if I don't just have to get rid of some of my service commitments so that I'll actually be less stressed. I honestly don't have enough time in my day to exercise. Here it is almost 7 and I haven't left the office or eaten dinner. I'll leave now, but tomorrow's a nonteaching day, and I know I'll be able to stay at this desk from dawn until well after sundown and still not be caught up with my work. So I'm thinking I really need to get rid of some of it.

Hope you had a better day today.

Thanks, Terri, for the encouragement, and hello all!

greetings ladies! I've been on vacation - especially from anything resembling heathy eating. I just arrived home from Las Vegas, and we ate at the buffet way too often! My IBS has kicked in and I feel crappy, but I guess I did it to myself! Yes, it was fun, but now on to looking foward and getting it together and back on program! I need to concentrate on water water water for the next few days!

Angela -- LOVE THE AVATAR!!

I hear ya, hun. One of my services commitments is a major committee that evaluates other faculty on tenure/promotion decisions, as well as post tenure 5 year review. We read a couple of files a week -- each can take 2.5-3 hours to read (except I'm new so it takes me longer) and then there's also the weekly meeting... some weeks we only focus on the feedback letters we write. Can't wait to hit one of those weeks...

Right now I'm only on for one year, but am considering a 3-year commitment. It is important work and I actually get a lot from it, but Holy Cow is it a lot of work! I've been putting in 10-12 hour days to keep up with everything!

Just popping in to log exercise minutes and say hi! It's been a crazy week. I started my half marathon preparations by stepping in a pothole and falling flat on my face. Then I got lost in the park I was walking in and ended up with 2 extra miles on my walk after the fall. Nice. My ankle was really sore Tuesday but after a day of stretching it out - it's good enough to walk distances on. IF only my food choices were as good as my exercise choices. Fall is such a challenging time to stay OP. I think our bodies want to prepare for winter just like the bears.

Angela - your glasses are so cool. That's a nice picture.

Personals later.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Good Morning Ladies!

I've been somewhat incommunicado for the last couple days. Stress is not getting any better and this whole credit card thing has now become a criminal identity theft case. I'm not doing too well frankly, and feeling very...I can't think of a word for it. Guilty? Traitorous? I keep thinking, "It's only money." But it's more money than I have without literally using every penny of our savings and the company keeps telling me I have to press charges in order to clear myself of the debt. I just wish the whole thing would go away. Still no word from RW. I called in sick yesterday, just couldn't face being around people. Food, of course, is bad, but could be worse I suppose.

Got to run. Office stress on top of everything else.