Let's all flap to our perches and "take a moment" before we fly into Friday stuff.

I finally bit the bullet and went to town late yesterday afternoon for a boring shop - you know the stuff - batteries, shoelaces, new alarm clock, that stuff. I ended up at the Chinese buffet so my ticker is lying this morning. "My name is Ruth and I'm a Chinese food addict." Lots of water today and tomorrow will fix that as will a good gym workout at 7:30 this morning.

The guys painted yesterday morning and got all the priming done. Dana, the head painter, is planning to work on the weekend to get it finished as Paul wants to do the tile and flooring on Monday. The diningroom will be painted when that's done which gives me a wee bit of a break from packing up the rest of the china and crystal. I have no place to put stuff downstairs as I refuse to mess up the kitchen and back room. I need some tidy places!

The kitchen smells wonderful this morning as I'm drying apple mint and spearmint again for tea!

The dogs are tearing around the house playing and it's not even daylight. They'll sleep this morning when I'm at the gym. I don't know who said "dog's life" was a derogatory term but they sure had it wrong as far as my guys are concerned.

May your Friday be fit and fabulous!

Good morning!!!

ooohh I LOVE chinese food. But I know I how I am when I attempt to eat it...I tend to stuff myself because its oh so good. So I stay away from it for now. As much as I dream of General Tso's chicken (yummy) Im suprised Im not gaining at the thought lol.

I work today and the ex is getting the kids between 330-and 4pm that doesnt happen much at all. So I will be napping early enough today i believe right after they leave. I have to open tomorrow so I will force myself to bed earlier than normal!

On a bright note: I had set my goal for 8 lbs for Sept and am officially down 1 lb...I know its not much but its better lost than gained lol.

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

Good Morning Everyone

Hi, Ruth. Thanks for getting us started this morning. I'm happy to hear your project seems to be nearing the end. Then you'll have all the work of getting your quilting room all set up, but that should be lots of fun. I'm a CFA too, but our buffets here are "bu hao" (not good in Chinese) so I'm not tempted-now Denver is another story. Your house must smell lovely-I'm imagining it now! Have a great workout, and a wonderful Friday.

Mornin' Robyn, I'll take a pound in the right direction any day. Congrats! I set my goal a little high for Sept but it's keeping me on track and I'll take what I get. Wishing you a great day and a refreshing nap!

I've been up for hours. Our Pooch Parade is a week from tomorrow and I have all the donations here. I had a car full of stuff and I made it my goal to unload it before checking in. Done, and now I can enjoy a little online time with my friends. Pool and exercise bike today, more healthy eating, but first I'll take the doggies on their walk. DH has been grumpy the last few days so I'm on my own here. Thats ok, he doesn't know it but he's helping me figure out I don't have to eat when in distress.

Lexi is doing well., although I'm expecting her to start barking in Chinese with all the herbs she's taking. I'm looking forward to a fit and fabulous Friday.

I look forward to hearing from everyone. Have a great day!

Morning!

We got in late last night and it was pouring buckets, so I spent the night at Monica's and got up at 4 this morning to drive home in the midst of a N'easter. I should have taken another vacation day, as I need more sleep BADLY.

It's going to be a long day, but I hope it'll be a good one!

Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound. Don't we always need a vacation to recover from the vacation. Hope you're day whizzes by and you get some much needed rest.

Good morning Well we already had a 20 minute power outage and the plumber is coming by around 8:30 to fix a leak. I'm trying not to assume these are bad signs for the day overall!

Ruth - Chinese Buffets hold no allure for me. They are loaded with MSG and fillers. I do eat at a couple of local Chinese restaurants occasionally though. Not too often and lots of water seems to do the trick. I think dogs and cats have it made. Sounds like lots of progress being made now. How exciting

Robyn - A loss is always better than a gain Hope you get that all important rest in today.

Debbie - Learning not to eat in response to other people's moods has been a big one for me too. Hope you and the pooch have a lovely morning walk.

Cottage - Welcome back! Could you keep that rain down there because I really don't want any here thsi weekend? Good luck getting through the day. Hope you aren't too tired for wine night

Well my life continues to present little challenges to keep me on my toes. My Dad had a stress test the other day which has translated into a procedure Monday morning at 8:30. I'm trying to figure out my options here. Luckily we had already postponed our Maine trip so no plans for the upcoming week. Our party is supposed to go until 6ish and is 45 minutes closer to the hospital than our house. I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to head to NY after and just find a motel closer to the hospital. There's no way I can make it by 8:30 if I leave home in the morning (It's a 3.5 hr drive). I'll be there for an undetermined amount of time - depends on how things go. What I really want to do is whine about how unfair it all is and stuff my face but neither of those things will help at all. Have to focus on options and responsibilities and make a plan.

In other news - long To Do list this morning. I hope the plumber is in and out fast. Have to make salads, cut veggies, do laundry, make a few last minute arrangement calls, and then get everything in place for a possible week away (cat foods, refried beans, bread - DP doesn't require that stuff but it will make her week easier if I can get it done). So no time to play online today

Hope your Friday turns into your weekend with no bumps along the way

Hi, Cyndi. Sorry things are getting so complicated. Wish I could be there to help, I love all that stuff, and I could be your driver. By 5 am I'm sometimes ready for lunch.

I have to go back and forth so much, that it's almost automatic. If dp was going with you I would say get a motel, but that doesn't seem to be the case. If it were me I would get a bag packed today, gas up the car, and then proceed with your joyful weekend. Enjoy a quiet night at home after all your guests leave, then arise Monday, take your coffee and breakfast and listen to a book on tape. Seems pretty daunting right now, and I hope it all works out for the two of you, and for your dad.

Good morning everyone,

Ruth- sounds like everything is going coming together nicely. I can smell your kitchen from here and it smells delish lol.

Robyn- that is great that you lost a lb, anytime the scale moves down no matter how little it is a victory.

Debbie- sounds like you are super busy with the pooch parade and good for you not eating because of someone else's mood. I had to learn that lesson as well about DH's moods.

Cottage- glad to hear you made it home safely and may your day go by quickly.

Cyndi- I agree with Debbie, I would take off on Monday early.

As for me- I had unexpected wfh thought I was going to have to work in office today since one of the other supervisors where gone but my boss said to go ahead which is great because kiddos have only half a day of school and then we are off to DS football game tonite and it is probably an hours drive if not longer to the school they play at.

Love the new avatar of Jazz, Ruth! What a darling! Yes, a dog's life, especially if it's lived with you, is certainly a good one! I'm a fiend for Chinese, especially those OP green beans with GAHLICK! I need to find the recipe for those, as I've been craving them lately and green beans are in season!

Cyndi, is this the weekend of your big day? If so, sending lots of happy thoughts your way! I'm so sorry there's all this other stuff going on. I think you have every right to do some whingeing (as Ellis would call it), but as my Aunt would say, "sit on the pity pot for a specific period of time and then FLUSH!" Proud of you for avoiding the food. I know it's tempting, but you're right...it won't actually help. I need to tell myself that more! Sending lots of your way and good thoughts for a safe and easy trip!

For some reason, I'm really feeling the date today. It's not like it's some memorable anniversary (like 5 years or ten), but it's hitting my hard...in a good way, though. I'm feeling very, very grateful that I feel so much safer today than I did 8 years ago, and especially grateful to the brave men and women who have worked and continue to work to make us safe.

Yesterday was a busy, busy day--lots of shopping (at local markets/farms and at Wal*Mart), baking, and painting! DH and I finished priming the walls in the family room. We still have all the trim (and there's a LOT) and doors, but it feels SO good to be this far! We'll do the ceiling this weekend, and possibly start priming the trim. We're on our way!

We planned to paint yesterday and tomorrow and take today as a day of rest. I'm brining a turkey breast for dinner (we did leftovers yesterday instead of the planned dinner) and we'll have that with quinoa/cherry/leek stuffing and some frozen veg. Then we'll watch a movie a friend recommended: The Visitor. Should be a good night for cuddling with the pup.

TGIF...hope you all have a good one!

Hi everyone,

Chinese food is a favorite of mine Ruth, I guess for SB though it's lucky I prefer Japanese. Of course with all those noodles and that rice...

Robyn, enjoy that napping!

Debbi, let us know how Lexi's alternative treatments are working. It's so interesting to see how those are being used (successfully) for pets now.

Cottage, can you get a nap in like Robyn?

Pearlrose, enjoy the game tonight.

Beachgal, I'm with you on the 9-11 stuff. Heard some tributes on the radio and I'm back to remembering that day. Just awful.

Cyndi, hoping that all works out well for your dad.

I'm off to a conference in Seattle this afternoon and need to pack. Ds was NOT happy about going to preschool this morning, and since I won't see him again until Monday evening, I'm pretty bummed out myself. M-in-L is still in the hospital, but sounds better this morning.

AND - saw the thyroid surgeon yesterday who did another ultrasound of my gigantic thyroid (2-3 times normal size, bleh), and he thinks I have Hashimoto's - won't know for sure until blood tests, but he wants to get my TSH level really low and says that'll help with weight loss (and also shrink my goiter maybe and prevent some of the autoimmune attacks). You can sure tell when your thyroid is going out. Just zombified. I'm not quite back yet either, but doing better than just a few weeks ago!

Happy weekend!

Fun Weekend starting today! I hope you all have a fun weekend too

Ruth- I can't wait to see pics of your new sewing room! Sounds like things are coming together nicely- and that mint smells divine I bet! As for the chinese- I am with ya- I have to avoid it totally! even though I don't eat meat it limits a lot but veggie lo mein..um, yum!

Robyn- CONGRATS on being a lb down! moving in the right direction! keep it up!

Lex- I am glad lil lexi is doing well- you would be rich if she does start speaking! lol. Isn't it funny how this whole diet/lifestyle thing is such a learning process!

Cottage- Hope your day passes quick and uneventful so you can get some (sounds like)much needed rest tonight!

Cyndi- Sorry about the bumps in your road... But as always you seem to have everything under control! and without whining! you are a good woman! If I was you I would go with the hotel near the hospital... seems like less trouble to me...Hope you get your to-dos done quickly so you can sneak a little me time or computer time in!

Pearl- Enjoy your day! and afternoon with the kiddos!

Laurie- Sounds like you have been busy busy busy! Enjoy the cuddling and the movie

As for me- I have an apple pie baking in the oven, definitely not OP and I don't plan to touch it as I cannot stand cooked fruit- luckily, because it smells wonderful! I had to find a use for the apples- we have 2 trees in our yard so I am taking the girls at work some apple pie! I plan to use the fitness center while I am there and hit up the grocery here in a few! Just need a few things so hopefully it will be a quick trip. I am in dire need of a new alarm clock. ours seems to hiss when its set, not when its going off but when you turn it on- weird. DH is coming home early and we are going to BUZZ FEST! There will be lots of great bands there and I can't wait! One of my all time faves- Alice in Chains! ok, time to go get ready! Hope you all have a fabulous day!

Morning all!

Just a quick hello to say I've been trying to keep up. I finally got a job (8 months unemployed) on Wednesday and started grad school last week so lots of changes. DW's gained 10 pounds, I've maintained so since I am walking with my commute now, I figure I'd get back into the swing of things!

Hope everyone is happy and healthy. I'll be back to check in this weekend!

~Jenn

Good Morning All!!!

Sounds like most of us have very full weekends. I'm not quite sure what our weekend will entail. I know I am sleeping in tomorrow and Sunday. It isn't very often that I have that opportunity so I am going to take full advantage of it!

I bought a pedometer last night and went on a 1.85 mile walk. My sil is my walking partner and we plan on going nightly.

I want to officially start on Monday. I think we'll have the off plan foods gone and I feel confident that we have the necessary ingredients to make it until next Friday.

We also went to the library yesterday and I picked up SBD Super Charged.

Happy Friday!!

Congratulations Jenn on both getting a job and maintaining your weight through stressful times.


Welcome onboard the beach Nat!! you will definitely want to read up before you start.

Quick story: Donut Girl brought a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread and offered me some. "No thank you." She told me how yummy it is! "It smells great, but I don't want any." She goes on and on... Finally I say, "I'm trying to stay away from sugar and bread." She says, "You are going to fail doing that kind of diet and will gain all of your weight back. You just have to watch your portions." I was just SHOCKED!!! How rude! I'm still speechless!

Anyway... Day 4, Phase 1. Yay me!

Jenne, WELCOME BACK!!! Congratulations on your job and going back to school. WooHoo!!!