Good Morning

Yesterday was one of those days I'd prefer not to revisit anytime soon. I'm committed to one sane day here. Food is planned, NEW woodchipper is in the yard and we may actually make some progress here. I'm up early hoping for some peace and quiet before we head into a very busy day.

Debbie, some days are like that. Isn't it great we get a fresh and unsullied one every morning? Be careful with that wood chipper. I gave mine to friend Doug as it scares me!

Had a lovely day yesterday except for a frustrating few hours trying to get the Mill money to balance. Found out late in the day that my staff had passed me the wrong tally sheet. Grrrr! So I'm glad I've got a brand new day this morning to start over. Right now I have $1200 in small bills and loads of change spread all over my beautiful new diningroom table.

We had several good soaking rains yesterday and my front flower bed already is smiling. If it's not too wet later I may get out and at least make a path through the weeds. They aren't smiling but smirking at me. Anyhow it looks and smells very fresh out there. There's a flower scent in the air which I can't identify - it may be milkweed since there is a lot of it around and it's in bloom right now. The Monarch butterflies will be happy.

I'm going to dry off a deck chair and sit and enjoy the fresh part of the morning. I hope you get a chance to do the same.

Debbie, today you have a brand new start. Put yesterday behind you.

Ruth, both my flower and vegetable gardens have wide smiles after last night's drenching rains. It helped cool things off here, too, but didn't help the humidity much.

I have an early hair appointment, so the girls are going to go hound-walking with the Hunt this morning, and we should all be done around the same time. If all goes according to plan, today's the day we're finally going to have our field trip to Roadside America. It's a very busy week with lots to do, but we should be able to squeeze it in today.

Sorry about your day yesterday Debbie. When I have days like that I have bad feeling that persists a little bit into the next day, and I hope you can avoid that! Here's to a better day and feeling centered.

Finally, we were able to sleep without the air conditioning last night and it felt good. I think the a/c was really giving me sinus issues. I was pretty on track with food yesterday, although I'm still retaining water from the weekend. I'm really hoping for a loss this week so I can move my ticker down already. Each week I seem to start out at 161 and get down to 154.4 by Thursday or Friday, only to go back up after weekend indulgences! I suppose I could restrain myself a bit.

Everything with the debt ceiling is starting to freak me out. I'm not even sure which side I agree with, but I just can't believe what Washington is doing. This is not a political statement but one of disbelief and confusion that we have allowed ourselves to get to this point. Just had to say this.

Hope everyone has a great day today...

Ruth, having the right tally sheet always helps...what a frustration. Hope you're on the porch right now!

Linda, enjoy Roadside America!

Matilda, I can't believe you slept without AC.

I was sitting out in the dark weeding and I'm thinkin' I'll just till them under...that would mean I could just sit out on the porch for awhile

Good morning from lovely central NY It was so nice to have a cool night! Now if only the sleeper sofa didn't sink in the middle. Think I'll go for the air mattress tonight instead. Had a nice evening with the folks. Mom and I are off thrifting today (of course) and Ill get my bike out after dinner when they watch TV. I also got more than a fix of dog petting. He loves it when I'm here because I let him out of his room and he gets to hang out with me. He did need petting for a very long time though He still has some bad habits (chews everything) so he is only allowed to roam supervised.

Debbie - here's to a better day! According to Cooperative Extension weeding isn't that important this time of year. Once the plants are established they can do alright on their own. Of course it doesn't look as nice.

Ruth - One of the most fun days I ever spent was with a small child care program with the kids out searching a field for monarch larva. THe farmer was going to hay so the kids went and saved as many as they could find. They were really good at finding them too!

Cottage - Have fun at Roadside America, sounds interesting.

It's so easy to stay on plan when I'm here. I'm in a room surrounded by old pictures of me. That's enough to keep me from any off plan foods!

Hope your Tuesday has some sunny spots and light breezes.

Morning chicks!

I've got 51 pages of my thesis down and about 15 more to go. Then a good proof read before giving it to a few lost souls who graciously volunteered and a huge weight will be off my shoulders!! Then it's two more projects and I will officially graduate.

Did I tell you we found a place? We did! So exciting. August will be a bad month for me: finish thesis and school, go to New Mexico for work, move, then leave for the cruise on September 3rd. Crazy month! I will def. enjoy the last few days of July!

Off to work!

Good morning!

Debbie - Hopefully today will be better

Ruth - I'm envious! My air just smells... hot and humid.

Linda - Doing anything different with your hair?

Matilda - I am in a similar pattern thanks to nearly weekly meals out right now. Even if I eat as well as possible, it then takes the rest of the week to get the scale back where it started.

Cyndi - Sounds like a lovely day.

Jenn - Woo hoo!!

I'm off to see the allergist today to gear up for ragweed season. Then maybe another TV shopping trip. Seems the one in our basement needs a lot more than just a new bulb so it is time to replace it. DH is motivated to do it fast so we can once again have our shows to watch when we do cardio. I'm managing to read when I workout but he runs so is going with no distractions, poor guy. Still too hot to bike outside, unfortunately.

GREAT day, everyone!

I have been out and about for a few days - drove to Cleveland Friday, then spent the weekend with my mother and my kids. It was awesome - trips to the park, playground, and the Museum of Art for the Ancient Egypt exhibit. The 11 year-old is entranced. My mom is taking care of blood pressure and weight issues, so aside from the extra triscuits and Chinese food, it was pretty much OP.

Yesterday, however, was a bit of a disaster food-wise, as it was an 8 hour drive filled with horrific thunderstorms and stress, leading to much off-plan food while driving. The pita chips might not have been so bad if I had not eaten the whole bag, the slim jim was definitely an error in judgement, and let's not even talk about the sour cream and onion potato chips. The only saving grace there was that it was a 4 serving bag, not a 9 serving bag. Oh, and of course a "block of dark chocolate with almonds" is not REALLY the same as an entire chocolate bar.

SO - imagine my joy when I was only up overall a pound from Friday morning. Going to do a few days of Phase 1 (well, mostly) and drink extra water. Glad I went for maintaining for the month of July . . .

Here's hoping everyone's plants thrive, everyone's books balance, and everyone stays cool in the next wave of warmth.

Be well!

Good morning everyone,

Debbie- sorry to hear your day yesterday was not so great, here's to a new day

Cottage- that sounds like a plan.

Matilda- Glad you got to sleep without the a/c I would so love to be able to, but still so hot. They extended our heat advisory until Thursday, almost two weeks straight.

to everyone else.

Have a great day everyone