If you have 50 or more pounds to lose, jump on in and join us! You will be sure to get a warm welcome!

Well, its been raining solid since yesterday afternoon about 3:00. Not just raining - POURING! Ands its cold, too - high only in low 50's. We are so close to sea level that once again, the city is flooded. The bldg where I work is right on a bayou and right now it is way out of its banks. There's an Omni hotel right behind us and the bayou has flowed into their swimming pool and lobby and I see no lights on over there - guess they have evacuated all the guests to somewhere else. We are supposed to get more rain today - although it had stopped on the drive in this am - but damage had already been done with many street closings due to high water. It recedes around here pretty fast too so maybe this break we are having now will help clear the roads - but it may be bad again by this afternoon. What a mess. Happy spring.

Jan - guess you got this rain before we did! Are you floating away yet? The berry trifle sounds wonderful! I ordered the Pirates Booty and it came yesterday! I ordered 2 cases so I have LOTS of it now! I think I will order an assortment next time - those Potato Flyers you had were good, too. Yes, dd's fiance liked the house too and they actually put a bid in on it yesterday. Now they are waiting to hear from the Seller - they figure she will counter their offer but they are willing to go a little higher so maybe it will work out. I told them TODAY would be good time to go check out the back yard to see if it drains properly! Its too cold for me, too! Can't wait for our nice weather to return.

Carol - When I was having so much trouble with the bursitis in my shoulder, the first thing the dr. had me do was get rid of my shoulder purse. Fact, I haven't carried one for many years now. I just buy purses with the short handles so I resist the temptation to hoise it on my sore shoulder. Looks like you are having the same kind of spring we are this week! Yuck.

Liz - Glad to have you checking in. Yep - gottta go to that meeting and face the music to keep from spiraling downhill! That's the first step in being successful, you know. Just get right back up on the horse.

Joyce - Texas is condering legislation to limit young teens' driving (e.g. how many others can be in the car, hours they can drive, etc.) I think it is a WONDERFUL idea! Kids believe they are indestructable - but of course, they aren't. And putting them behind the wheel when they don't have the maturity or experience to make good judgments just isn't a good idea. When my dd got her license at 16, I had Mom restrictions too. The one I remember most is that she had a "box" of an area where she could drive without notifying me where she was going. The "sides" of the box were major streets in our part of town and it was about 5 miles across the "box" - of course, it included the high school. If she went anywhere else, we had to know about it. It worked really well, actually.

Patti - Wow, you are on a roll, girl! Over 11 pounds in 3 weeks is wonderful! Congratulations! I'm with Carol on the snowcones - I don't see how they could be too bad a choice. If you make them yourself, you can limit the syrup and count that by measuring how much goes on. Gee, we have lots families with graduates this year! My dd is officially getting her Master's Degree May 12 so I guess that counts too!

Nancy - Good going on your loss too! You are hanging in there so well! Once spring arrives (No, 40 degrees to me is NOT spring!), you will be able to get out and about more and burn some more calories - although I suspect those 8 year olds take care of that, too!

Saara - School is almost out for you and with the school semester will go the Statistics! Yea!! Sorry you had to leave your kitties elsewhere but I know you feel better knowing they are happy in their new home. Sure makes for an "empty" house without our pets. I still find myself "listening" for my beagle and she's been gone for almost 3 years now.

Well, girls, gotta go and get to work. Have a great day and will check in again later.

Good morning!
it is supposed to be about 80 degrees here in the L.A. area today! We're going to have a warm week!
Makes me feel a bit guilty when I read of all you being so cold and wet!
Texaslady, I agree with you, it is a good idea for your dd and fiance to check out that house when it is raining and flooding! sounds like you really have it bad, I'm so sorry! It's a good thing that your dd got her pictures taken before this hit!! Is her name Kristen, or is that Janet's dd? I get so confused, I need more notes.

Is your strawberry freezer jam recipe made with sugar, or low sugar?? i know that such a recipe exists, I would like to find it. the strawberries that I have had this year are so sweet, I won't need much sugar, I'm sure!

Carol It is amazing how easy it can be to adjust to a smaller purse, I used to have awful sholder problems! But I get along fine with a smaller one now, with just the neccessities.

Nancy I guess it would depend on how much and how sweet the syrup is that you put on those sno-cones, but i agree with the others, they can't be too bad. Enjoy!
liz good for you for facing the scales! It is sure not easy for me, sometimes! But I sure do need it!

Janet, your trifle sounds delish! I will give it a try when we have compamny next week. dh's brother and wife will be here for 4 or 5 days.
You asked me about our brown outs, which could be a long subject, but basically.... the out of state power companies that we buy our power from have raised the prices because all of a sudden several power plants that are 'out of service for unscheduled maintenance'.
We are in the process of building plants in Calif., but have had to sign long term contracts with the other states, so will have to pay outrageous prices, even after outr plants are in operation.
I have heard that there are ways to avoid shutting down critical places like hospitals, but have also heard that patients are assured of back-up generators.
Which I don't trust! When my little granddaughter was still in the ICU area of the burn center, several years ago, the power went out for about 20 minutes, and no generator kicked in! there were 2 patients in her room that had to be 'bagged', because their oxygen was not working. I was glad I was there to comfort dgd during that time. I have never sung so many verses to "there was an old lady who swallowed a fly" in all my life!
But I digress!
And ramble!
must run! Look at the time!
~~~~

JOYce

Hi everyone,

My son's HS symphonic band had a performance last night and they won sweepstakes - which is all superiors. They were AWESOME!!

The retirement luncheon is today and I am looking forward to the grilled fish!!

JOYce - Yes, New Orleans is great. I am born and raised here and I know it gets alot of bad publicity - you know -- the CITY OF SIN!! But I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. The beauty and the history of the city are just great. Also, on the driving thing - my son didn't get his permit until August of last year. He was 17 and he kept his permit for awhile. He got in alot of practice with Mom and Dad in the car. That was the most stressful thing I have had to do yet. Hand over my keys to my baby!! But he has his own car now and he loves it and he is very responsible and calls me to let me know where he is all the time.

Well I'll try to get back on later. Big Congrats to all the losers!!! Keep the faith!!

Patti

Good Afternoon Everyone!!

Well, I made it to my meeting today. I was really expecting to have gained or to maintain, I did not expect to finally hit my 10% or any of that good stuff. So I was a little nervous. But I got there got on the scale and told my leader to please tell me something good. And it worked, she did. I lost 2.1 pounds. Over my 10%! I was so happy I danced. Good thing I was the first one there. Someday when I get closer to my goal I will tell all my family how much I have lost. Right now I am just not ready to share that, does that sound silly?

My mom, sister and niece met me before my meeting, but it was a short visit. My mom was not feeling well, so they drove back to my sisters. It was nice to have lunch out with the girls!

We had a foggy day, but it was about 30 degrees, so it was pretty nice. Someday summer will come here and then I can get outside. I feel so trapped. I try to walk (as well as do my exercise bike) when I can just as some extra exercise. It is so nice to smell the fresh air, hear the birds (soon they'll be back), and just get to feel the wonder of being outside. Anyway, I ramble on...

Well everyone, I better get a move on dh will be home in a few minutes and I need to show him all my treats.

Talk to you all later.

Rebecca

PS...Funny story...lost my sunglasses two weeks ago, so I bought a new pair. Well, at my meeting today AFTER I was feeling pretty good about reaching that goal, I saw them sitting on the counter. My leader said that my day couldn't get any better...I have to agree, it has been wonderful!

CONGRATS REBECCA!!!
I feel the same way about not telling others how much I weigh. I have been worried about reaching 10%, because I figured they would tell how much that was and then DUH! people could figure it out...but last week i watched as someone got he s and no specific poundage was mentioned. Very nice, I thought!


keep up the good work.
~~~~~

JOYce

WAY TO GO, REBECCA!!!!! We are so proud of you for reaching your 10%! At my meeting, the leader is always very cautious and never "tells" how much weight someone has lost - especially someone who has lost their 10% - that way no one knows unless you want them to and you tell them yourself!

Well, the rain let up yesterday but everything is still pretty flooded - but at least all the streets are open again. That's a good thing!

My dd & her fiance signed a contract for the house. The Seller countered their offer only $1000 above what they had bid, so they decided to take it and not quibble. Now they have to get it inspected and do the final loan approval steps. They don't have to close until May 31 - their apartment lease is up July 1 so it should all work out really well timewise. I hope they haven't jumped into something too quickly - but they did do a lot of research and carefully budgeted for the mortgage payment.

Gotta go for now. Everyone have a great Thursday!

Rebecca - That is wonderful!!! Good for you!!! I can imagine how excited you were. I have 6.6 more to go to my 10% and I am really looking forward to it. And girl - I lose a pair of sunglasses a week it seems like. I just cannot keep track of them. So - I've learned that I can never buy expensive ones....

TexasLady - I think the rain left there and came straight here yesterday. It was awful and it is STILL cool and dreary. I wish it would get warm. I like my hot, humid weather much more than cold. Wow, I am excited for your daughter. My husband and I are going to start looking for a house soon. We are with my Dad right now. We sold my husbands house and stayed with my Dad to save a little. But now that both kids (my son and my step-daughter (she lives with her Mom)) are graduating from Catholic High Schools, we are going to have plenty enough to cover a mortgage payment. Boy that high school tuition was more than the college they are going to go to. But it was worth it. The public schools here leave a little to be desired.

I'll talk to everyone later. Have a great OP day.

Bye, Patti

Hi everyone from drizzly, wet, cold Maryland! This is NOT my idea of spring!!
Liz, I can definitely relate to what you said about doing things you never expected to be doing. I've never tackled a car battery, but in the almost 6 years that I've been separated and totally on my own I've acquired some skills I never expected to have, that's for sure. My most memorable accomplishment was trapping a mouse. I have a terror of the things- I break out in a cold sweat when I touch a mouse trap in a package on the shelf at a store. But shortly after I moved into my apartment I saw signs of a mouse under my sink. So, being determined not to ask for help from either my exdh or my sil, I managed to catch him! And I lived to tell the tale! Amazing what we can do if we have to! I hope you get some time to relax this weekend after your busy week!
Texaslady, it sounds like you've had some awful weather in your neck of the woods! I hope the worst is over. How nice that your dd and her df found a house they liked so easily!!!What's it like? You're right about heavy purses- but after my ortho doctor told me my purse probably weighed more than the 10 pounds I'm permitted to lift, I of course had to weigh it- and it's only 3lbs 3 ounces! The shoulder bag's a better option for me because of the type of back thing I have, supposedly. Who knows?
Joyce, send me some of your sunshine, will you? Maybe it will be a pick-me-up! How awful to have your electricity rates going up so drastically- especially with summer around the corner.
Patti, congrats to your son's symphony band and their outstanding performance!Have fun searching for a house- that's so exciting!
Rebecca, way to go, girl!!! That 10% mark is such an exciting milestone! I've never minded telling people how much I've lost- but I don't tell anyone what I way. Maybe after I get my last 20 pounds off I will- I don't know.
What's everyone got planned for the weekend? I'm off tomorrow because I'm already into overtime this week, so I decided it was time for an escape from the real world. So, I'm taking a cheap weekend away to the PA Dutch area and will also do some "window shopping" in the many outlets there. I found a very reasonable motel that's supposed to be nice- hopefully it is. I'm not crazy about going away by myself, but if I want to get away I have no choice but for it to be by myself, so I picked a spot with lots of "one person" stuff I can do. And I'll take books and crosswords and the math puzzles I love, and maybe I'll come back with a lowered stress level!
My exdh called, just in case I happened to turn on the news. There was a big tornado in the county where my little Florida house is this morning, but it missed the development where our places are by about a mile, thank God. About 80 homes were destroyed and a couple horses killed, but no human lives lost, fortunately. Scarey stuff.
Well, I'd better run. I've got a lot to do this evening if I want to leave in the morning.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
Carol

Morning everyone, from the wet state of New Jersey!. Rain is pouring down in sheets. My celler is leaking because of it so I guess my next skill is to learn how to repair celler walls.

i am so excited. I went back to my meeting yesterday to face the music. Even though I have been op since Monday I figured that I would be paying the price for last weeks six day binge. I only gained .6. Yeah!

Carol , have fun in PA. On of the things that I am planning to do in my new singledom is to start traveling. I never could have afforded it while the skank was around so I have made that one of my priorities. I plan to go to England in the fall and am going by myself.

Rebecca:way to go on your loss! It doesn't sound silly. I have not told a single soul about the amount of weight I have lost (of course except for everyone here) because I didn't want anyone adding to my current weight (which I also never shared) so they would not add it up and figure how much I used to weigh.

Texaslady, good luck on the house hunting. That's always so exciting. Keep us posted.

Gotta run. Everone have a great weekend. I am going to an orienteering event this weekend. That is also something that I always wanted to do (kind of a race in the woods where they plat a course in the woods and you follow it with a compas and get a card stamped at checkpoints along the way) I have never been before so I talked a friend into going with me since I don't know what to expect and I needed someone to getme over the hurdle of the first one. Of course this friend is in Mass where I used to live so I am going up there this weekend.

Bye for now!

Hi everyone! We've been a quiet site for the past few days- everyone must have had a busy weekend.

I enjoyed my little getaway to Lancaster. I picked up one sweater for myself and a ton of stuff for you-know-who at the outlets. I also checked out some of the Amish tourist stuff, and drove around the countryside. I had thought about taking an Amish buggy ride, but the weather wasn't too pleasant. I actually ate in a nice restaurant alone too- I'm getting so daring! I was in my room before dark- I don't do roaming in unknown territory alone at night- I can get lost going around the block, and at night I'm even worse.
All in all it was a relaxing couple of days- I probably shouldn't have spent the money, but I felt it was necessary.
Liz, good for you for only picking up .6 after your bad week- you must have done better than you thought for at least part of it. How was your "orienteering" weekend? That's something Ive never heard of. I'd probably be lost beyond return- I have the most awful sense of direction!!!! I'm impressed that you are planning a trip to England alone in the fall!

Well, I have some laundry to finish up, and daylight saving time or not, I still have to get up at 4 AM, so I think I'll run. Have a good op Monday, everyone.
Carol

Hi Carol!
It sounds like you had a great time! good for you for being so brave. Actually I enjoy going places by myself sometimes, because I can do just what I want to do!

dh has been going to make our reservations for New Orleans all weekend, but hasn't yet, maybe tonight.
I might have to bug him a bit.

I had two of my younger grandkids Friday night and all day Saturday, so they kept me pretty busy, 9 and 11, but they like to keep busy, we molded clay fruits and dragonflies from clay, and then I showed them how to pour ceramic slip into molds, they thought that was great fun...I may have 2 apprentices on hand.

Linda and I are going to Michaels tomorrow to check out some soap making kits, and on Tuesday my company arrives, so will be a busy week.

I did not do well with my point counting last week, this week will hopefully be much better, even with company.

bye for now

~~~~
JOYce

Sure has been quiet in here this week-end! Well, our weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday and today - got into the 80's! I spent most of the day yesterday in my kitchen re-lining my pantry with shelf paper. Well, of course that entailed taking every single item out and putting it back. Man, I found stuff I had forgotten was in there! Needless to say, a lot of it wound up in the trash! But my walk-in pantry looks so awesome now! That's a job I have been procrastinating and the old shelf paper looked SO BAD!!!! Course, getting up and down on the little step ladder aggravated muscles I hadn't used in a while so I paid for it last night! Oh well, a job well done!

Spent part of today at my Mom's and part of it at my dd's. She & fiance are so excited about the new house. We went to a home supply store to poke around and she saw so many things she "would love to have!" I reminded her that any extra $ would now almost always go to "something for the house" and that it takes lots of years to get everything purchased and the way you want it. She just wants instant gratification!!

Carol - I am glad you got away for a week-end and good for you for going it alone! Like Joyce said, I love going somewhere by myself because you can do exactly what you want to do! Don't have to please anyone but yourself. Hope the weather was decent.

Joyce - Hang in there with your company and don't lose sight of the program. You are off to a good start again now!

Gotta go. Tomorrow can't be Monday again already!!

Morning, everyone!

Carol: your trip sounds wonderful. I have heard that it is a beautiful area to visit. I hope you are all relaxed and ready for the new week.

Joyce: Do you make soaps? i have always wanted to try that. I take it from the post that you do ceramics. That sounds like fun too.

Texaslady: Kudos to you for cleaning that pantry. Mine looms dark in the background (actually my whole house looms dark in the background) Don't you feel a sense of accompishment?

My friend and I went to the orienteering meet this weekend and I absolutely loved it. We walked the trail and of course did the easiest one that never left a main trail. But it was so much fun and I am learning to read one of those maps. Have to get myself a compas. I really enjoy being outdoors. Now I want to learn to birdwatch

Have a great day everyone.

Hi!
I'm still computerless at home, and haven't had the time to sit in the computerlab (which I hate to do anyways), so I'm sorry I haven't checked in for a while. I had a great weekend, work and parties... that's all I seem to be doing now. Well, I have a test coming up on Friday and I have studied for it a bit too. Statistics is almost over, one more time on wednesday! I couldn't be happier...
The sun is shining, and the temps are getting higher, about 35 in the morning, but about 50 in the afternoon. So now I can wear my cool rubberjacket. I have so much selfconfidence these days, it's amazing. The weightloss is a big part of it... I just feel great!
I hope you all share these feelings with me!
well, gotta run. Have a great day! Saara.