Good morning, lovelies! Come join me in a mug of coffee (or tea or water) and tell us about your weekend.

My exciting weekend was spent doing taxes and they're not done yet, but we're closing in. For fun, I got to the gym both days and grilled outside, even though it was a little chilly. At least it's light enough in the evening so I can see what I'm cooking! The best part is that I have leftover grilled shrimp for dinners this week.

The forsythia is just started to bloom here, which is always the first sign of spring. I haven't seen any robins yet but just having the sun shining lifts my spirits immensely. I'm hoping that we're done with snow for good.

My fun project -- interspersed with taxes (my not fun project) -- is swapping my winter clothes with the spring/summer ones in the storage closet. I bought some things at the end of season clearances that I put away and completely forgot about, so it was like Christmas rediscovering all these new clothes. I need to buy a few things to fill in, plus am contemplating YELLOW, which seems to to be the color of the season. I'm just not sure I can wear it? But it looks so sunny and cheerful! Has anyone been shopping? Maybe we need a spring shopping thread!

Time for me to hit the road to the gym ... hope everyone can stop by and say hi.

Hi maintainers,
I'm back and it's my birthday!to see me.
It was a lovely trip to california, but i'm also very glad to be back home. Also, DS and DD are very happy to see me. GP and GM are OK of course, but more strict then I am, so it always takes some adjustments if I am gone. And it also my 50th birthday today. Now how did THAT happen??? I've just barely adjusted to the 40ish thing.

I'm still very jet lagged, stiff and I've got a headache. i took off from work tooday, still tons of grocery shopping to do etc. I'm resuming BFL tomorrow, no idea how I am weightwise, but i suspect there will be a lot of hard work to do. Still, it was lots of fun and I'm glad to be back home again.

have a great day all,
Rabbit

Happy birthday, Rabbit! Have you heard that 50 is the new 30?

Happy Birthday, Rabbit!

Good morning, Meg.

I have good news and bad news. Good: I am back to my redline. Bad: It took a stomach bug to get me here. I haven't worked out since Wed. but I hope to get to the gym today for a light workout.

Have a great Monday, maintainers!

Have a wonderful birthday Rabbit. For all of us in this thread 50 really is the new 30 as we are all probably in better shape and healthier now !

I am proud of myself . I got back from my dog sit on Friday and have been OP from Friday evening 'til now. I can't remember the last time I was OP all weekend long.

I confess I had a bad week at the dog sit and part of the OP weekend was to recover from that.

But I also have found a role model to emulate. This person is extremely fit, very positive, sucessful both personally and professionally, and loves the life they've created for themselves.

It's Cesar Millan, the "Dog Whisperer" guy. Yes, you can all because it does sound kinda absurd.

I have been watching him on TV and have bought a number of his DVD's and one image of him is staying with me all the time.

He's running flat out barefoot through the surf with a bunch of big dogs. And the expression on his face is one of pure joy.

That is how I want to be and what I will work toward.

Have a great day and a great week all!

Dagmar

Good morning everyone! The past couple days were so warm it feels like we skipped spring and went straight to summer! Of course, today it's cool and cloudy. Oh well. We have crocuses and daffodils blooming at home, and a hyacinth about to bloom. I bought three flats of pansies on Saturday and spent a couple hours planting. Now our front yard looks more cheery!

While I was getting my hair cut Saturday DH went to buy compost in bulk. Little did I know he was going to buy $350 of compost! We have a massive pile on our driveway now. He spent all weekend digging big holes, taking out all of our crappy dirt, and replacing it with compost. Now we have new beds and places to plant the lilac and viburnum we mail-ordered, plus a place to plant a cherry tree which we've been talking about for a while.

Our taxes are done!!! Last year was a major hassle because we'd sold stock to get money for the down payment for our house, and didn't have the records we needed to figure out the cost basis. This year we didn't sell anything, didn't move, didn't do much of anything at all, so taxes were easy. We got enough deductions to bump us down to the 25% tax bracket (last year we were 28%). We're getting a big refund from federal, but we owed $800 in state taxes.

Meg, I love yellow! I find that it works well for me if I wear either a yellow shirt or a yellow skirt, but not so well if it's all yellow like a dress. It also depends on the shade a lot.

Rabbit, happy birthday!!

Dagmar, I think Cesar Millan is a great role model. You're right, he does seem to be really fit and happy. Now if only I could quit my job and spend my days running around with dogs without worrying about money . . .

I have a confession to make. I am so far from my red line that it seems totally unattainable. My confession is that I have seriously considered going on a crazy crash diet just to get back down to where I'm comfortable, because I feel like if I could get back there, I could maintain it. I haven't actually done it, but all my usual weight loss techniques have just stopped working, and I feel like if I'm going to have to be hungry to lose this weight, I'd rather just be REALLY hungry for a few weeks and be done with it than be moderately hungry for months. I don't know what got screwed up in my metabolism -- whether it was the year of trying to figure out how to treat my thyroid or I'm just getting older and my metabolism is slowing down. I'm just not losing at a comfortable calorie count and exercise.

Hi everyone,

Funniest moment of my bizarre alternate universe of training with all these big burly men this weekend: Cathy (the one other woman, she did the competition last year for the first time) and I caught Tim checking his "marks" in the mirror, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. You see weightlifters wear these crazy shirts that are supposed to help them bench more. Tim the trainer told me a few weeks ago I should think about getting one, but my response was "I don't have a lot of extra money to spend on things like this. (Also, mentally thinking "that will make me look like a penguin - just like all of you!"). They're so tight on your arms that they actually dig in and make marks on the back of your underarms. This just seems so crazy to me! I was glad Cathy finds it funny too. For the record, I have yet to determine if the shirt that Tim has loaned me helps me benchpress more weight - I'm still getting used to wearing it, b/c it just feels really strange!

Determined to be a POP this week!

Dagmar, I think given your occupation and love of dogs, wanting to be like the "dog whisperer" is perfectly natural!

Ward, eh, hope you're feeling better!

Rabbit, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I hope that jet lag disappears and you can enjoy your day!

Meg, yay, I love shopping in your own closet! It's so much less expensive than shopping at a store. Good luck with the taxes and hope you can get to the weights at the gym!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Happy Birthday Rabbit!



Anne

Megan, LOL about the shirt! I'm wearing a shirt today that's going to leave marks in my arms . . . because it has those girly puff sleeves, and my upper arms are too flabby!

This weekend, I learned two things: (1) If you are spraying your shower down with LimeAway, open all the windows and turn on the fan, and (2) scrubbing the shower and gardening result in massively sore hamstrings and glutes. Ouch!

Happy Birthday Rabbit!!

We are all sitting here wondering what the ash from the Mt. Redoubt eruption is going to do to things like travel plans. I'm supposed to fly out vey early Friday morning, and today they're cancelling all kinds of flights. A lot depends on whether the eruptions continue and what the wind direction is. Oh well, can't really do anything about it.....

But on that note, I have to dress and get to work (it's 6:45 now) to be sure we are ready if we get ash. It'd do a number on the compressors at the ice arena and on all computers. Groan.

Good morning everyone!

Meg - I'm like Jessica. Yellow top or bottom okay, yellow dress a little too much, unless it is the really pale almost white yellow. I love it though, so I want to wear it! It feels so cheery! With your coloring I bet you could wear it.

Rabbit -

Ward - glad you are feeling better! Annoying to be sick, but high five on being back below redline!

Dagmar - I think the dog whisperer guy is pretty neat. I think that he is a fine role model for you!

Megan - I totally don't get the bench press shirts, but whatever works for them!

Jessica - Is there a middle ground between what you are doing and 'crazy crash diet' that you could try? I know you have already cut your calories down and increased your exercise.

Pat - It wouldn't have crossed my mind to think about ash getting into the machinery and engines and such. Wow. I guess you aren't close enough to have to evacuate because of it?

We did some yard work this weekend, put rock borders around our trees and bushes, put down some mulch. Still have one small bush to do and want to put something around the mailbox, but so close to done! My neighbor gave me some seeds for some annuals and honestly I don't know what to do with them! She has hers planted around her bushes and mailbox with the red mulch on top of them and they are growing up through the mulch all pretty. I think I'm going to throw myself on her mercy and ask for help!

Have a good day everyone!

Happy Birthday Rabbit!!

I thought about you when I read about the volcano, Pat. Hope it won't interfere with your life too much.

Jessica, I know you are training a lot right now and when I train for my half marathons, I don't even focus on weight loss. I think there is a difference between exercise for weight loss and training for an event (but I'm sleepy and I'm not certain I can elucidate on that right now). I would focus on eating as clean as possible, and focusing on fuel for your training efforts. Focus on weight loss after the triathalon.

Hello to everyone else! Have a good one!

Meg. you must know I have been shopping. Macy's was having a one day suit sale , of course I was there. I had a hard time choosing between two and common sense did take over and I only bought one. I debated about the color as it is Ivory and a little limited in how much I can wear it. Fortunately I live in California and will probably be able to wear it throught October unless the weather goes bad. Where I live in California sometimes October can be very warm. Never fear I will find a way to wear it!

Happy Birthday Rabbit!

Forsythia. Oh, how I miss that! And the spring bulbs popping up all over. I just don't see those things here. But I have to say that I sure don't miss all the snow that you have to deal with before the spring comes!

Count me in on being another Cesar Milan fan!

Cover your head when you go out so you don't get all ashy, Pat! How far away is it from you?

I had a really nice weekend. Friday night was the big March birthday party. Everyone had a nice time. Saturday was the memorial golf tournament and that was a huge amount of fun! The only bad thing about it was the hot dogs served for lunch. They were included and there was nothing else offered (and there was no extra time to order anything different). I really hate hot dogs, but was famished and had to eat one (and then I burped the rest of the day). Sunday was spent doing errands and laundry and then my in-laws came for dinner and we had some fabulous coconut shrimp with steaks and salad.