Good morning to you all! Another day of rain, yck! Jack says we won't see the sun again until summer!

Fortune is driving me crazy. He jumped off the bed at least 4 times last night and I finally got fed up and brought him downstairs. Because I wasn't upstairs to hear the alarm, poor Jack slept through and had to rush to get ready for work and eat breakfast. The dog is now wanting in and out and in and outdoors and I just yelled at him and told him I was not letting him out again already. I am tired and grumpy!

Maggie: I am trying to get Jackson's stuff bought because we are taking it at Thanksgiving. His mom gave me some ideas and I found out he loves the movie "Kung Fu Panda" so I found the cutest tshirt that says Kung Fu on top then a picture of Po the panda and below it is Jackson so it says Kung Fu Jackson. I also bought him a little pop up dojo with one of the bobbing things in it. Alicia says he has "moves" he wants to show me so I thought having his own dojo would be perfect.

Jean: I don't want your nasty weather so take it back! I would love some sun. I hope all things went well with your travel and such. Unfortunately, it wasn't a happy time for doing it and you have my sympathies.

I have got to get some work done today but I am so tired from last night. I swear I am ready to lock him in Jack's office and let him bark all night. It is already 10 o'clock and I really need to step up and get something done.

Well gals, have a great day. We have a mayoral election today so we will be going and voting after Jack gets home this afternoon. There are a bazillion candidates and Memphis is nonpartisan so unless you know their partie politics, you have to hunt all over to get what their platform is.

Faye

Good afternoon, ladies! Raining here, too. And supposed to keep up until next Wednesday. I want to see the sun.

Jean, My condolences on your loss. Not a fun way to spend your birthday. I hope the rain stops so you can do the picnic in the park on the weekend.

Faye, I don't know how many times Cupid gets on and off the bed at night, but he doesn't wake me so that's okay. He's really funny, he'll lay there while I read, but as soon as I turn the light off, he gets down; but he's always on the bed when I wake up.

Maggie, I need more cookbooks, too. Maybe I should actually use the ones I have more.

Well, it is now confession time. I've been doing very, very badly. Since last winter, I have gained 20 pounds. I just can't get with the program and stay there by myself so I signed up for the monthly pass for Weight Watchers (promotion for a free month ends on Saturday) and I'll go back to my favorite leader Tanya tomorrow at 11 am. There'll be some Friday's I'll have to miss, but we have tons of meetings so I'll just go to another one. I'm going to do Simply Filling and get back my control. I am just miserable the way I am. I'll update by ticker tomorrow I need you all to until I get back in control and on the wagon.

Have a good day!

I could have waited until tomorrow, but I think we all know the feeling of dropping the ball so to speak but then not wanting to admit it to others maybe even ourselves. I have been struggling for about 3 weeks now and having good day and bad days, thank goodness I haven't gained a tremendous amount, but I have gained a couple lbs and that is not the direction I want to go. Believe me, Susan, we all sympathize and are there with you. You do what you have to do to get back on track and we will be your cheering squad right behind you, right gals? We all need the encouragement everyday!

From the desk of my very favorite president:

"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass away.""
~ Abraham Lincoln

Good Morning, Flowers! It's another gloomy day in my corner of the world. The street shows signs of drying but more rain is predicted for this afternoon. Enough is enough! We are going to Sioux Falls tomorrow to celebrate my birthday with the kids and grandkids. It's supposed to be nice for the next 3 days so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed. I have dog duty later this morning and need to run a couple errands in town. The floor needs to be mopped but the marks don't show w/o sunshine.

"Gma" -- I had one of those nights where I couldn't get back to sleep after getting up. I don't know if I've had enough sleep, like a long nap, or what, but I tossed 'n turned for an hour or so watching the clock. I could easily have slept in this morning! I'm not sure if our icky weather is heading your direction or not. The weatherman has promised 3 "nice" days over the weekend and then more rain. At least it is a bit warmer so that helps; the furnace isn't running as often. It is hard to stay OP day after day. My friend who lost 125 #s on WW is struggling now too. She says the motivation is gone and she is having a terrible time. They live in a small town where everything at church revolves around food, and their daughter, son, and grandchildren all live there too. I wish I had the answer besides just keep plugging away. I get tired of thinking about what I can eat, what I should eat, and what I want to eat!

Susan -- You have done so well losing the weight I know that you can attack the 20#s and have them gone once again. I hate it when the jeans start to feel tight and I know that I have been overeating again. I know that journaling is a key for me and I do well for a week or so, then let it slip a little each day until I'm not doing it at all. We are here to support your efforts!

Thank you all for your expressions of sympathy. It's never easy to lose a loved one, but when you know they won't get any better you have to believe they are in a better place.

I need to get dressed and get a move on. Have a fantastic Friday and a nice weekend!

Jean -- from Iowa!

I forgot to come in and post this morning. I took Fortune to the kennel to be groomed, mailed Jackson's Halloween present and some shoes to my niece, went to the grocery store and found my little Michelina Lite snacks at the other Walmart, dropped of Jack's prescription at Walgreens and looked for green bags, which they didn't have.

Susan: Where again do you find your green bags? I really need to get some now that Jack is eating fresh fruit. We have commissary duty tomorrow so I want to have some on hand to bag up my fresh fruits and veggies.

Jean: You know if we didn't have to eat to survive we would be ok. Unlike drugs, alcohol or cigarettes there is always dang food in the house. I think more than anything I am a boredom eater. If I am mad or sad, I clean house but if I am bored where I should clean house, I eat.

We are having dinner with Tom, Kelly and Thomas tonight at Ruby Tuesdays. I am going to have their great salad bar I think. I am going to check out their website for nutritionals just in case though. We are combining all of our fall birthdays.

It is pretty chilly here this morning and gloomy to the max but no rain so far. I have clinic duty so I hope it doesn't rain going in or coming out.

Hope you all have a great day and weekend. Like I said it is grocery weekend and I want Jack to take me on Sunday to see the movie "Couples' Retreat." It looks like it is a hoot.

From the poet of the masses

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"
~ Dr. Seuss
Faye

Good afternoon, ladies! Another cold (54 degrees) rainy day.

Thank you for your support. It is hard to admit to others that I am having difficulties. I have always been a "closet" eater. Eat well in front of others and have my indulgences in private. Now that I live alone, I let it become a feast much too often.

I went to my WW meeting today. I was still in the computer so that was good. They were having a sale on WW smoothies and 1 pt. bars so I got i box of red velvet 1 point bars and 4 boxes of smoothies - 2 white chocolate peppermint, 1 french vanilla and 1 chocolate. I really like them and they are only 1 point if made with water. I like a spoonfull of pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice in the french vanilla. A good autumn smoothie. I also got a cookbook. I saw 10 recipes already that I have to try.

There is a Goodwill 2 doors from WW and I had some time before the meeting so I went in. I found a Longaberger purse for $4.00 - brand new with the tag still on it. I don't buy purses very often. I use them until they fall apart for the most part.

Faye, I got the green bags at Walgreens and I also have seen them in Kroger. I think there are some new fruit and veggie bags out now from Glad or Zip-Lock too.

It's 3 so I'm going to Curves, then I have to go do my Kroger shopping. Have a good evening.

Just a quicky post tonight. We went to dinner with Kelly and family and came home about 20 minutes ago to find 5 fire trucks and 2 ambulances and 2 fire division suvs all at the condos. I of course was frightened for Fortune. It WAS in our building down 2 condos to the left. So of course our house stinks of smoke, we had to park way down the street because we have a huge fire truck in front of our garage and 5 inch hoses running down the middle of our street. It may be past midnight before they are gone. It did a huge amount of damage to the condo and I actually know the woman. Do you remember me telling you about the woman a couple years ago laying out on the grass in a see through nighty nuttier than squirrel poo and she had locked herself out? It is her condo. Her son sold drugs out of their garage too so I wonder if either she went round the bend and set the thing on fire or he was smoking crack in there or something. Frightening for us for sure. Susan, you would be in the hospital if you were anywhere around here tonight. It smells like one huge bonfire. Fortchy is fine except a bit nervous as they broke into our gate out back to make sure no one was in here so it scared him a bit. I will talk to you in the morning.

PS: Went out to dinner and had a serving of 3 pt potatoes and one serving of salad with hot tea! Oh and a bite or two of Jack's cheesecake.
Faye

Good morning, ladies - still raining.

Faye, what an awful thing to come home to. Maybe the kid was making meth. Poor Fortune - all alone and all that going on! Good for you on dinner!

Nothing going on today but housework and quilting.

Have a good day!

Afternoon ladies! We had commissary and other errands to run today and started out at 8 am so I haven't had a minute to spare until now.

Susan: Woohoo, found the veggie bags at the commissary in the produce section so I bought a box. We shall see how well this particular brand do. The sales seem to be over for fruits for the year even at the commissary. I did get blueberries, strawberries, a melon, bananas and then some fresh veggies.

Maggie: I was tempted to go the motel route route, but decided I could just put up with it. I put on the fans in the house, ceiling and all the ones we own and got the smell out pretty fast that way. We came home this morning and no trace of smell. I also keep Lysol air freshner in the house and it works well to get rid of smells.

Ok, again want your opinion. I talked to my brother last night and my niece is definitely coming, but he is flying her down here a week earlier so she will be here for Christmas. So, I need to get presents for her. I am going to make her a sweater (put my own on hold for now) and a felted handbag. Here is the sweater and handbag pattern and the yarn I chose for the sweater and handbag. The sweater is going to be solid pink and the bag mainly white with the same pink in a stripe. I will get her a cute lacy tank to go under it. I think it is a great look for a teenager.

Well the dryer just shut off so I need to fold clothes and put the last load into the dryer. Have a great afternoon!
Faye

Good morning, ladies! Guess what - it's raining.

Church today and now I have a pot of soup on. A variation of the zero point garden vegetable I found on the WW site, it has spinach, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes and green beans. It's been so cold soup will be good in my lunch this week.

Those White Chocolate Peppermint WW smoothies are to die for. I've been having one in the evening.

I hope I'm not coming down with a cold but my head has been aching for 2 days and nothing helps and I've been sneezing. I took a cold pill this morning to see if that would make me feel better.

Faye, I'm sure your niece will love the gifts. I love that pink! I lament the loss of the berries and summer fruits. I did get strawberries at Kroger this week. Apples and Pears are on sale now. I get frozen berries for my cereal in the winter.

Maggie, I haven't had spanish rice in a long time. Sounds good to me!

I need to do a load of laundry so I can get to some quilting. Have a good day.

Good Afternoon, Flowers! The sun is shining in my neighborhood! Bob just left for the farm, the washer and dryer are running, and the dishwasher is loaded and waiting to run. We were gone all day yesterday; I do fine on the 2 1/2 hour drive to Jason's but have a hard time staying awake on the drive home. I went to bed earlier than usual, and slept all night for a change. I think the grandkids were more excited about it being my birthday than anyone else. They sang a new rendition of Happy Birthday then got the giggles. They have such a good time when they get together. We didn't picnic because it was breezy and cool, but we did go to the park and the kids played on the equipment. Beth and I made a quick stop at the mall -- I think every other mother had a double stroller and they were all trying to get into Bath & Body at the same time! The parking lot was full just like at Christmas time; I'd love to go back during the week when it isn't crowded.

"Gma" -- A fire is such a scary thing to come home to! I'm glad it wasn't closer to you; the smoke smell is bad enough! I'm sure Fortune was very nervous and scared; I'm glad he is ok. I have seen the green bags at Walgreens, WM, and the grocery stores too. I'm glad you found some. About the only time I don't eat is when I'm upset over someone being terminal. I lost 20#s when my mom was in the last couple months of Hospice; I had an appt. to have my bp checked and the doctor was concerned until I told him the reason. Otherwise I can eat any time and I don't even need a reason.

Maggie -- Have the allergies settled down today? I hope so! I'm sure your charm bracelet looks interesting. Is it yellow or white gold? The latest two charms sound very attractive. Are you writing down what each charm means to you so that others might enjoy the charms some day? Enjoy your potluck today; I can't say that I've had Spanish Rice.

Susan -- You know, I never thought about being a closet eater. However, I definitely qualify! I know that I've never eaten a whole cake or a whole box of donuts when home alone like I've read about people doing. I guess I am a grazer rather than a "sit down and pig out" kind of eater. I try not to eat between meals so that I'm hungry at mealtime, but that doesn't work 100% of the time either. You did get a nice purse at a bargain price! Enjoy your afternoon of quilting!

I need to put in another load of laundry, sort through some catalogs, and run a dust rag around! The sun sure makes the dust stand at attention! I hope you all have a nice day!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Good morning to you all! It is chilly today again and I now have the furnace on, bummer! Maybe my electric bill will go down if the ac isn't running all the time though.

Maggie: I make spanish rice when I make Mexican food. I watched my mil and made it like she does except Jack doesn't like the green pepper in and and I love the green pepper in it. Hope you had a nice day yesterday

Susan: Those smoothies do sound good sort of like peppermint hot chocolate, which is yummy. I bought stuff for chili again and may make a pot of stew sometime this week too. It is cold enough for that sort of thing and with all the damp weather, it is nice to have in the evening.

Jean: Glad you had a good time with the kids. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and having both the boys together. We are going to take them swimming at the pool at the hotel I think while we are there. I just wished they wouldn't grow up so darn fast.

Thomas sweater is done except I need to press the front hand warmer and sew it one. I have the back of Jackson's done and am rolling along on the front so I should be in good shape to get them done. I have to get them a pair of khakis to go with it then I can wrap them up.

I got a gift card from Joann's from Kelly and family for my birthday and a beautiful jade bead bracelet from China when they were there. I bought yarn for my sweater, but ended up with a green as I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. If I had known about Ruth at the time, I would have bought her yarn with my Joann card and the color I wanted from the place I normally do, but that's ok. This celery color green will do nicely for a summer sweater I think.

I guess I better hit the bricks. I want to clean downstairs today as I cleaned upstairs except to vacuum yesterday. Jack has to replace the metal electrical "box" in the hall as the light just clunked down the other day and Jack says the screw holes in the box broke down. I am not going to vacuum then have him get ceiling gunk all over the floor and have to do it again so I am just going to wait for that.
Have a great start to the week!
Faye