Trudy: Wow I cant believe what they are making you go thru all that to clean up the Apt. Sounds like its thier job to do all that and not yours. Just cant believe it.
You should never feel like an idiot. I go up and down all the time. Im far from perfect. I dont think I ever will be. Would be nice but its just not real life. I will fight my weight problem for the rest of my life.

Karen: Excellent advise.

Marnie: I know everybody raves about Kettle Corn here. I myself think its to sweet for my taste. But try it and everybody loves it
Have fun with your sister!


Later!

Hi Everybody


The painter has finished painting the outside of my house, which is just great. I can feel that cold weather creeping up on us so it is good that it's done.

I don't like that Kettle corn either. They were giving it out at Costco one day and I had a sample. I'm glad they did that otherwise I would have bought the whole box and then found out that I didn't like it. I tend to make several trips to the snack cupboard if I am restless or bored. If I can keep busy it's easier for me.
I miss Maria's posts. She must still be away on holiday. Tonight Trudy and I and another friend are going to the movies tonight to see Mambo Italiano with Paul Sorvino. We'll let you all know what we thought of it.
Hope you all have a nice evening.

G’day all,

I am back………
I arrived back last night and had a quick check of my emails when I found I had a virus I spent the best part of 2 hours getting rid of it and I did!
I tried to check ‘our’ board (3fc) at an internet terminal located somewhere in a shopping mall but access was denied. I suspect the title ‘3 fat chicks’ conjured up other things than a weight loss support site

Nice to see all the posts this morning……….

Thank you all for your kind words about my business card, I have a couple more little things to do but I am not run off my feet which of course I did not expect nor do I want that sort of pressure.
My cousin in Holland asked me to do something with her grand son and I have attached one of the result at the bottom of this post, supposedly looks like a painting. He looks the most adorable child I have ever seen!

I have heard all about Isabel and what a feisty ‘lady’ she was. Pleased your daughter ‘only’ had to cope with some trees falling on their house Ann. I know there are others a lot worse off but it must have been very scary having a tree crash onto your house.

Trudy to me your snowstorms sound horrendous. In my part of the world we ‘only’ have to cope with bushfires. In northern Australia we do have cyclones and the worst one hit on Christmas Eve in 1974 when all of Darwin was virtually flattened and had to be rebuild. We spend a year there in 1978 when there still was a lot of evidence of the destruction caused by Cyclone Tracy.
I have to agree with Karen it seemed like only yesterday that your grand daughter was born and she is now pulling herself up, unbelievable!
I don’t know about the 32 ft campers Karen I think I would prefer to have my own permanent little nest somewhere and perhaps do some travel from there.
Our own ‘dolly’ club sounds like fun though.
Pleased your dad is doing well with his treatment.
Peggy hows your internet provider? Isn’t it annoying when you loose all your favourites. I am so pleased I got rid of my virus in my computer without loosing anything. I have a favourites list a mile long. With this scare once again of a virus, I must back everything up again. I try to do it on a regular basis but then find better and more important things to do.

Ann a belated ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ I hope you had a wonderful day with all those that are near and dear to you.

Slavika your house sounds lovely but I had to laugh to myself when you said that the house had been ‘brown’ for the past 27 years. It sure was very fashionable 27 years ago, just about every new house was painted with ‘mission brown’ that it has become a bit of a joke. The new colour scheme sounds great.
Those wraps sound great. I also picked up somewhere that you had lost over 3 lbs, good for you. Perhaps the incentive of going to Maui would work for all of us .

Lily pleased your second week of your holidays was great, Lake Tahoe sounds a beautiful spot to be.

Marnie good to see you are back on track and I have to say I will HAVE to join you. Being in Sydney this past week was just ridiculous, eating out 3 times a day. It is so difficult when you are away to try and make good choices.

My stay in Sydney was OK, it was very hot in fact it was 12 degrees warmer than is normal for this time of the year I forgot how busy Sydney is and how difficult it is to get around. I did get some excellent computer books, some bargain towels and I bought some new slip on shoes for summer.
DH is still there and will come back tonight but he warned me that we may have to go for a 3 months stint very soon. Not exactly what I would like to do but alas……..
I am busy unpacking again and doing some washing so I must be off after writing this epic post…….
For the Canadians here, I met a lady from South Carolina who just ‘loved’ Sydney and said the only city that comes close to Sydney is Toronto, so there you have it, I will have to come and see for myself one day.
Nice to be back......

Cheers
Maria

I hope you don't think I am a 'total show-off' but I just HAD to show you the original photo of the little fellow attached in my previous post.
I guess I really want to show you what CAN be done.
And yes, overseas customers are welcome!!!!!!!!!

Cheers
MAria

Hi Everybody

Welcome back Maria I missed seeing your posts. The picture of the young boy that you attached is just super. You really did do a great job Maria.

The movie, "Mambo Italiano" was fun. It won't win any awards but it had lots of funny parts in it. The "F" word was used a lot in the movie, but I guess that's nothing new anymore. There weren't many people in that theatre, maybe only about 10 or so. I'm sure that the OTHER 7 people sitting there heard the 3 of us laughing out LOUD. The two "older" ladies that were sitting behind us moved further back. hee hee

My DIL is away at a wedding in Dallas (she left on Wed) and my son had to go to New York and left on Wed too. My son's company paid for two gals (who babysit the children regularly) to live-in his home and care for the children until he returned (which was this morning). Last night after getting back from the movies we three gals came here for tea and my DH was not at home. I called him on his cell phone and he didn't answer. He called a short while later to say he was at the hospital with our grandson. Our little Prince and Princess where playing on his bed (jumping) and the Princess pushed him and he fell against his night stand and cut his ear. Of course there was afair amount of blood. The sitter phoned my DH and my grandson called his Dad in New York, crying and yelling that his SISTER pushed him and his ear was HALF OFF. Then the Princess got on the phone crying too, telling her Dad it was a accident, she didn't mean to do it, but was wondering if she was going to be punished for this........that was of prime importance to her. hee hee. Next the sitter gets on the phone all upset too over what had happened. There's my poor son sitting in a hotel room in New York City trying to calm everybody. My DH told our son he was taking our grandson to the hospital. They got to the hospital at 6:45 and they FINALLY stitched his ear up at 11:45. It required 8 stitches. He was fine and insisted that he was going to go to school today so that he could show everybody WHAT HIS SISTER HAD DONE TO HIM. Our son left New York early this morning and is home now. He went to the school and checked on his children and both of course are fine. I had called the kids this morning and knew that all was well. The hospital had put a small piece of tape over the stitches and our grandson removed it this morning before leaving for school so that everybody would be able to see his battle injury better. So all is well, and everything is back to normal The cut wasn't that big but DH didn't want him to have a little "nick" in the side of his ear for the rest of his life.
Well since all is fine with my family, I'm off to lunch with friends today, so talk to you all later

G'day all,

Slavika what a performance, you tell a story well and it was easy for me to picture the whole scenario
Good to hear all is well again and everyone is happy after the mishap.
Busy day for me, going to some markets (mainly plants) this morning and then to a friend's for lunch. Tonight out for dinner with some other friends. Lunch should not be a problem foodwise, my friend is very conscious of her weight as well and we are very similar (read forever getting back on track ) Dinner might be a different story and a bit more challenging

I meant to tell you all in my last post, for those with grand children (even those with no grandchildren will love it!) you MUST take them to see 'Where is Nemo'.
I saw it on the flight going over to Sydney. DH thought I was crazy but flying business class you get your own individual little screen and I was able to watch what I wanted to watch instead of some 'action' movie!
It was so cute, I don't know if you have heard of it but it is about a young clownfish who gets lost at the Great Barrier Reef and his father goes looking for him. It was very enjoyable and the flight to Sydney seemed to be the shortest yet.

I must be off and prepare for my big day!

Cheers
Maria

Yesterday was the perfect day for me. I went for a haircut then DH and I rushed through shopping to get home because my DD, and granddog were coming to spend the afternoon with us. was sitting on the floor and I bent over, put my face near her and asked her to give grandma a kiss.. she moved closer and kissed me on the cheek, she even had a little smacking noise aahh, it was so sweet, better than the first kiss I got 46 years ago Slavika mentioned the movie.. I quite enjoyed the quirky characters, and found it funny. Not sure the rest of you will get to see it because it was a Canadian movie. Last winter DH and I saw "Men With Brooms", it was about the curling craze here and it didn't get out of the country. Another funny one.
Slavika I guess your grandson got a lot of mileage out of his wounded ear. Poor Princess, she will have to endure a lot of teasing. 8 stitches seem like a lot, it has to be quite a nick. Will it leave a scar? (He probably hopes it does, that way she can never forget the incident
Maria you probably noticed that Slavika and I are so much alike. Without discussing it, we both sent you the same article . I bet Finding Nemo was cute, I rather liked the trailer sceens they showed. You sure can do amazing things with photos. I liked the picture of the little fellow.
Bushfires and cyclones sound daunting to me. Being snowed in can be quite romantic.. of course digging out isn't too much fun.
Thanks for the advice Lily and Karen.. I guess we will never be cured. The good news is that we don't give up either.

We got all the wallpaper off and the windows are sparkling clean. Tomorrow we will shampoo the rug and wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. This rental agency has a lot of senior blocks and is notorious for making it hard to get the security deposits back. Most people just walk away and let them keep it..... not us! The reason I am so determined is beacause my Mom always worried about ruining something in the apt. and then have them keep the deposit. She had little notes attached to her receipt explaining every scratch or dent.

Now I am going for a nice long bubble bath..

Hi all: Been a busy few days since the birthday. Trying to catch up on all the news.

Maria: good work. You never cease to amaze me with your skills.

Trudy; Landlords can be a pain, But it is worth the deposit, and to show them that you just don't give up easily.

Hi to everyone. Hope to get back to a regular schedule next week.
Have a good weekend. Ann

Slavika: What a great story! I can just see your son trying to clam the babysitters and veryone else to You do make a story picture proof from reading it. Glad the prince is ok.

Maria: I have seen Where is Nemo it is very good! I like those kinds of movies. Cried in the horse one Spirt (I think thats what it was called). I would rather watch those movies then some of the others they come out with.

Trudy: Ohhh so cute about Angel. She sure sems to be growing awfully fast I hope you get that deposit back. I see why you are so determined. So they better give it to you Landlords can be such a pain.

Ann: You must be very busy. You sound like it.

Off to get dinner and watch a movie. Dont know what DH came home with this time.

Later!

Maria the picture of the little boy is wonderful. I can't figure out how you do all that with a computer. I'm feeling smart when I cut and paste.

Slavika, Your grand kids sound like mine. It is so true how brother and sister like to hold thing over the others head. That must have been some cut. 8 stiches wow. But I'm sure he'll get a lot of milage out of the story of how his sister scared him for life.!

Lily hope you enjoyed your evening of dinner and a movie. How nice.

We made a tripe to St. Cloud today to see the progress DS has made on decorating his house. So far so good. He is not one to go for a lot of color so it all looks pretty sterile. I'll have to get him to add some color. I must talk to the new girlfriend and see if she can help.

Went to The olive Garden for dinner. Shared my chicken with DH. Chicken Marsala. It was wonderful. Spent some time at the mall bought 2 rings at Penny's One is an eternity ring in sterling and the other os black onyx. I love silver, so I am thrilled with them. My DH teases me about being easy!

The cat was pacing in front of the door waiting for Dh to feed her when we got back. She get very annoyed when we are late for her dinner. Always gives us a good tongue lashing when we do get home.

Trudy - first kisses from the little one my heart did flips when I read that. Enjoy every minute.

Had a close look at the cell phone that takes pictures today. Told Dh we will need one like that when we are traveling . But then all the kids will need one too so they can send us pictures of the Grand kids every day or so. Good Idea! Don't you think?

I've got to go to bed It's been a long day and will need to get my self up for church in the morning.

Talk to you all later.
Karen

Hi Everybody
I'm having my son and grandchildren over for din dins today so I will finally get to see what this injury to his ear looks like. DH said it was very minor, but I guess the doctor must have taken neat little tiny stitches and that is why there was 8 of them. I'll let you know when I see him. I'm sure both the children will want to tell me their side as to how this injury took place.
Karen how much do those cell phone cost that you can forward pictures. When DH and I find a place "south" we plan on buying a computer for our southern place too. We might buy DH's lap top computer because the Bank will be getting him a new one. We don't know how much they will sell it for and we also don't know if they will take bids on it. The lap top would be great if we were planning on travelling from place to place and can arrange hook up.
I think I will stop playing on this computer of mine and go and make a dessert for our dinner tonight. I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies yesterday so they will enjoy that too.
Have a great day everybody.

Slavika the phone I was looking at runs in the neighbor of $300. Very small and light weight. beats the heck out of this one I have now it's really old and really heavy but it is installed in my car along with a 3 watt booster. I really hate to have to give it up because it will receive calls in the mountains of Arkansas that sound like the person is sitting right next to you. But we can't get some of the new wonderful rates because it is not a digital phone. And we need to think about better phone rates . Retirement = less money.
Karen

Slavika that story of the kids reminds me of the song about little monkeys jumping on a bed and one fell off and hit his head. Glad that he is okay. I bet the Princess is having a hard time living this one down.

I like kettle corn but not a lot of it. Too sweet and makes me crave more sweets. A herb festival I go to pops corn and puts dry herbs on it. Know that one of them might be oregano. It is really good. Always go for the tomato soup and popcorn.

Trudy sounds like the landlord is really making it hard to get back your deposit. Glad you aren't letting them keep it.

Karen your new rings sound pretty. I like silver too.

Maria wish I had all your computer knowlege. Everybody says Nemo was cute. I have to make it a point to see it.

Lily your wrap sounds yummy too. I like the idea of the balsamic vinegar. I am going to make it this week.

Marnie how are you? I tend to eat out of boredom and sometimes I have to look in the frig to see if something new has magically appeared. Try to keep my hands busy so I forget about food. Sometimes it is really hard.


Went to a birhtday party yesterday. There was a 12lb cake. Biggest thing ever. Didn't try it cause it was chocolate and looked dry but did have the cheesecake. Now I am trying to work if off today. Took a walk this morning but it's getting chilly. Had shorts on and froze my legs. I am waiting for Indian summer to set in for a while.

See you all later,

G'day all,

Just taken dh to the airport for yet another week in Sydney. So first things first and come and see you all and what you have been up to this weekend.

Good for you Trudy I would also be very determined to ensure to get the deposit back. I am sure they prey on people at a very stressful time in their lives when they loose a parent or close relative.
When you mentioned about your Canadian films, I have to say that I do not know of ONE Canadian film. I am sure they are there but perhaps it is not advertised enough and we assume it is American when it could well have been a Canadian film. A lot of Australian films do not see the light of day outside Australia, it seems to be more the comedies, perhaps our sense of humour is not quite the same as elsewhere.

Annhope you are back to a more regular schedule now.

I am with you Lily I do prefer these sort of movies as well. DH and I clash a bit with movie choices. I very seldom read anything other then autobiographies and I am a bit the same with films, I like true stories or the cute children movies. One of my favourite movies I watched many times with my dd when she was very young was 'The Labyrinth' with David Bowie as the unlikely star.

Karen I don't know so much about the 'cell phone' (we call them mobile phones) with the camera. I think they are a lot of money and I personally would rather put that money towards a digital camera. The picture quality would be better and the other person where the picture is being sent to has to have a mobile phone the same to receive them.
Nowadays you can pick up a fairly cheap secondhand laptop and use that for the purpose of emails and sending your photos that were taken with the digital camera and of course you can receive all the photos of your grandchildren regardless of what type of mobile phone they have.
You wouldn't need a laptop with huge storage etc. to do just that.

Slavika as you probably gathered from my post to Karen above, I think a laptop is a great way to go.
I have a fairly powerful one with all the work I do on it and they can be a bit expensive but generally you can get a pretty good laptop very reasonably priced that will do everything you want it to do. DH has only a laptop as everyone at his work has and he just takes it with him wherever he goes. At home he plugs it into a 'docking station' and he then uses an ordinary keyboard and monitor. Again his also has a lot of memory for all the work he does.
Karen I am surprised you still have an anologue mobile phone (I take it that is what they are if they are not digital) Two years ago all anologue mobile phones were phased out and we now only have digital. Just recently I read an amazing statistic that Australia has the highest number of mobile phones, 14 million when we only have a population of around 20 million
They sure are a handy thing to have!

Peggy what do you mean by kettle corn? Is that just corn on the cob cooked in a kettle??

Marnie what are you up to, did you have a good weekend?

My weekend was not great foodwise, the person I relied on to do the right thing, baked a beautiful carrot cake for after lunch.
Dinner in the evening was also lovely. The host was Polish and is married to dh's cousin. Her cooking was just superb.

We will find out this week if we are off to Sydney for 3 months, I really hope that will not happen. Time will tell.

Cheers all
Maria

Karen: I love the Olive Garden! Hope you enjoyed! Your son sounds like he is making great progess on his house. What is with men and colors? Im sure his girlfriend will help out. I have seen those phones before they are nice but pricey. You can get free phones now if you sign up for a year. Really depends on the company you go with. But I have to agree with Maria. Most people wont have these phones where almost everyone has a compter. Digital Cameras have gone down in price, but they are forever changing like the computer. But you get good quality and all will be able to keep them on thier computer if they want. Where as a phone they can not. I myself would get the Digital Camera if you want to share pictures.
Wow your old phone sounds like one we use to install in a place I worked before. Its an antique But they are good phones thats for sure.

Slavika: Do tell us the story of the injury. I want both sides to. I can just picture it. Little ones are so cute. I would have a hard time knowing which to beleive. Or keeping a straight face. My sisters use to say I got some pretty funny looks on my face when I was listening to thier kids tell thier side of the story

Peggy: You say Balsamic Vinegar to me and Im there. Love the stuff. This wrap is good. I use lots of Spinach and red peppers so I have a BIG wrap Let me know if you like. 12 lb cake? Oh my. Wouldnt even know how to make one. Maybe thats why it was dry How would you cook it?


Maria: Kettle Corn is a sweet Popcorn. I cant remeber all that they put in it. I used to have a recipe for one that used Splenda. But I did not care for it so didnt keep the recipe. Its does have sugar and something else in it.
I work for a Telephone company and we still have Anologue here. Tho it is basically going away. But there are still people out there that want it so we still supply it. Im sure it will evently just fade away. Let us know if it is Syndey for 3 months. Hope it doesnt happen for your sake.



Night all!