Pam and Sue - my thoughts are with you both at this time.

Anita - this is the place!

Later this afternoon, we're going to the home of one of the church families. They're holding a meeting for new people of the church (which we are) and best of all, they're providing babysitting so people like Mary and Dale can listen without the kids needing them.

I've been trying to come up with a new photo for my avatar, but the bad thing is that all the photos I've taken show the real me, lol. I need some touch-ups, like the celebrities!

Hope you are having a good Sunday.

Wanted to come in and say:

Sue & Pam: My thoughts and prayers are w/you!! Sending you both many hugs to you and your family. So sorry about your loved one!



Girls...I'll be back later on today to post individuals.

Until then....

Afternoon -

I am sorry Pam - many warm thoughts and prayers to you.

Thanks Jane

I am heading over to the farmers market to look around. Craving corn beef and cabbage - sounds good.

Picked up the girls from sleep over this morning. Rebecca promply went to sleep on the couch. Rach and I watched The Cable Guy for awhile and I finally said........"you wanna do something???!!???" sheesh.....lol

I said I was heading to Goodwill to look around. I found a cute green/white check blouse and Gaby a cute girly comforter for her bed.

Want to wash my car and go for a walk somewhere!

I am back down to 148 , so that is nice. Celebrated by having pancakes and sausage for breakfast .....super good.

Can't wait for the week to start! 2 days of training and reviews to do, keeping busy is a help to me.

I forgot to say the evaluation is slated for June, it was done that way to give us time to collect the money together Jane. Though my mom offered to give me my share - which is a blessing! I also was able to pay Rocky off from what he loaned me and am finally caught up on my phone bill - so things are looking up

Chat later and HUGS to you all.......

Hello gals!

And a warm welcome and Hello to both Anita and Dodiedog!!

Dodie--Where about in Oregon do you live?? There are four of us here who are from Oregon, maybe we live near by.

Anita--A new baby! Congratulations. I went and read your post in the buddy forum...like your new thing you're trying "Diet and Exercise" I discovered that not to long ago myself!

I hope both you girls find this a comfortable place and find that you'll meet these wonderful caring girls.


I'm going to attempt to do some individuals.....lets see here:

Susan--Late?! The man was Late?! I'm sorry it was so hard for you to see Gaby go. I do hope that she has a wonderful time. A father/daughter relationship should be special and I hope he does a great job.

Jane--I want a cake w/cream cheese frosting!! Send one over! I'll take it on my trip! Tell Gina "Happy Birthday" and I hope she got spoiled rotten on her special day!!

Cristi--I have so much laundry going on today that it's unbelievable. Where did it come from? Did you sneak some of yours over?? Glad you went out and had a good dinner.....Red Lobster sounds good right now. I've never been but have always wanted to.

Angie--Was the play about......ME?? My ex used to play mind games all the time....kind of why I went into a depression the last few years I was with him. BUT--that's all over and I have a wonderful husband who is whisking me away for our anniversary!! (where was he the first time I married???)

Ellen--Your poor kitties....little sniffles and colds. We have three cats. Or maybe I should say two cats now. Our girls hang around the house all the time (they are all outdoor cats) and the boy wanders next door. Well he's been missing for a week now. Just the other day a neighbor came by and told us that the manager of the apt. was trapping cats and releasing them in the wild or taking them to the pound!! So James called the police and you know what they told us?? The manager is free to do what he pleases on his property. I was appalled!! Some help they are!

Mindee--When I was pregnant w/either one....I was so strict on what I ate and what I did. I made sure I drank no caffeine, had quit smoking, ate lots of veggies and fruits...stayed off the fatty foods and exercised a lot. So here is my question....why can't I be that disaplined now????? May have to pretend I'm pregnant!

Oh I hope I haven't missed anyone! My apologies if I have.

Well...tomorrow I'm leaving!!! So excited!!! Leaving around 6:00pm. So I should be here before I go to check in and say hello then goodbye.

Off I go to tend to Jhanai!!

Hi Marti-

You are going to have such a wonderful time, soooooo happy for you and James. He sounds like a dream and hard to believe it has been almost a year married!!

Yes, he was late. -lol........

He is suppose to drop her off in 50 minutes. He better not be late this time. He never has been with Lauren, don't know what held him up yesterday. I must say in all my 7 trips down to the courthouse on the coast I have never been late, always on time. Even the parenting class trip through rush hour I was 4 minutes early!!

wooo hooo us Jaded Ladies are good!! lol.

Ok, going to walk up to Freddies and get some diet pepsi- thirsty.

HUGS to you Ellen

chat later.......

Pam, so sorry to hear about your sis. I know the pain you are feeling right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Sue

Pam,
Im sorry about your sister's passing...
Big hugs,

Hey all,
Marti have soooo much fun that you can come home and make us jealous.

Dang Jane, I could use some cake and icing...mouth watering right now.

Cristi, like you I don't want to cut my hair, right now I can pull it back into a small pony tail,,,so nice. But my hair is so thick its driving me nuts.

I had to work last night,,,till 4:30 am,,,then was up and going to rehearsal. Im a tired person right now....
Gotta run Tan wants to make cookies...mmmm cookies...

Hello everyone…..how are you all doing?

I managed to get Brandon to sleep and stay asleep on Thursday. I climbed in our bed with him at about 12:30am and just cuddled with him and Tommy. We both fell asleep, and I just laid him in his bed at 2:06am. So far no peeps and we can do this every night, just not as late. Cause now I am wiped out! He managed to stay asleep in his own bed until 7 am Friday morning. To which I brought him in bed with me and he ate a bottle, and we both crashed again for a couple hours.

Well, this baby doesn’t like Taco Bell like Brandon did when I was pregnant with him. We ate Taco Bell today before going grocery shopping, and I couldn’t finish it which is unusual for me. I picked up a jar of pickles to try and see if this little one likes them.

I just got a call from my sister Beth, she was due on Friday with her little noodle. Her two daughters are with their dad, and she was calling to make sure it was okay if they could be dropped off here. Her contractions are 3 to 4 minutes apart, so we should have a baby noodle by the end of today, hopefully! Well, she has been at the hospital since this afternoon, and we still haven’t heard from her. We got a call from her boyfriend at about 7:30ish, and they had just broken her water. Our nieces are here sleeping on the couch anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little sister!

We have started Brandon on milk in his bottle. We have been wanting to start weaning him off the formula and onto milk for a couple months now, but I wanted to make good and sure that his milk allergy was gone. Sunday we tried him with 6oz of formula and 2oz of milk, and then right before we went to bed, we tried it half and half. That bottle took a little longer for him to finish, but he did finish it.

Jane~ I picked up a jar of pickles to see if this baby likes them. We are not sure when Tommy will get insurance from his work. He is through a temp agency. And I think you have to work for them for 90 days, and then work for the company for 90 days before you get insurance. I have been meaning to tell him to ask his boss about it, but keep forgetting.

Cristi~ With Brandon I had the taco bell cravings, and anything spicy, I wanted it! With this one, it is the complete opposite! I walked into taco bell to figure out what I wanted, and what I ordered didn’t even sound good to me, but I still ate the majority of it.

Marti~ Have a safe and great trip!!! When I was pregnant with Brandon, I constantly craved Caesar salads, and actually have craved one here and there now. But I ate more salads when I am pregnant, or when I had to go to the hospital to visit my mom.

Susan~ Like I said, your life never has a dull moment! I am sorry that you are missing little Gabster, but she will be back clinging to your leg before you know it!

Pam~ I am so sorry to hear about your sister passing. I will keep your whole family in my thoughts and prayers during this time.

It's Monday again!

Marti - let the good times roll, girlfriend!! I bet you and James are excited today! When will you be back? Have a good time, and know that you'll be missed! (don't forget my postcard!)

Susan - corned beef and cabbage..... green and white blouse... somebody's getting all ready for St. Patrick's Day, lol. Did you get your car washed? YAY for 148!!

Angie - My hair is long enough to pull back, too, and yesterday I wore it pulled back, down low, with a hairpiece attached. My DDs really liked it. What kind of cookies did you make? NO! Don't tell me!!! lol

Mindee - any news of your niece? Hope all went well for momma and baby.

Here's a situation that I need advice on, ladies: Katie's graduation will be here before we know it, and that involves inviting family to the open house we'll be having. As some of you know, we had some extremely hard times with some of Neal's family. One brother and his wife have been just awful to us - Neal says their actions were motivated by greed. They brought in a U-haul truck and loaded up Fern's things before she was even dead. A niece of his (in her early 40's - don't want you to think of her as a child) showed her worst side at Fern's funeral, in the back of the church, screaming, and even made Mary cry. (some of his family never accepted my 2 children that I had when I married Neal) They pointedly excluded my son from any part of the funeral service since he isn't a blood relative, even though he was VERY close to Fern. That hurt him (and me!!) so badly! The niece's mother, a sister to Neal, is so two-faced it's pathetic, and was so very unsupportive of us taking care of her mother, but of course didn't do it herself. They all moved away when they grew up, and have resented our closeness with Neal's parents. These are the ones who have been just hateful since we moved out here to take care of Fern. Anyway, at Thanksgiving time, I persuaded Neal to call the brother and sister to make nice, so he did. He flat-out refused to call the niece, though. Other than that, we've had no contact with them. They have had functions at their homes to which we were not invited. The hurt these people caused in the last few years - well, my inability to cope with it - was a big factor in me gaining a lot of weight when I did. They caused so much trouble, you wouldn't believe it! Now for the dilemma - should we invite these people to our home? The Christian in me says YES, bury the hatchet and open the door! But the mother and wife in me says NO - don't give them another chance to hurt us. I am not one to hold a grudge, and although I will never forget what they did, I am able to forgive. I was going to leave it up to Katie, after all, it's her party. Or Neal, since it's his family. Katie and he neither one can decide what to do. Btw, he has 2 other brothers who, along with their families, have supported us in everything, and trusted us enough to let us use our own judgement with Fern. Should the whole thing be laid to rest in the interest of family harmony? Or should we exclude the known trouble-makers from the guest list, which will most certainly add fuel to the fire? What's a Jaded Lady to do???? Please give me your advice.

BBL,

Hi ladies!!

Thanks for the warm welcomes! It''s 7:00 a.m here in Ontario, and My Dear Darling baby just woke up so I will have to post mosre later. Suffice to say I've been up for a couple of hours now and have done a workout.

My name is Anita and I am A Jaded lady.
P.S. My Daughter's name is Joycelyn (pronounced Jocelyn)
More to follow!
A

Hi All, I'm back, Joycelyn is down for her nap so I have a little time. I really need to be cleaning my house but something compels me not to.

Jane--Thanks for the headsup on the chitchat. This is where I'll come.

I read about your dilemma and YEESH what a stickly situation. Here's my take. Personally, given the track record of these people, I honestly would not invite them. They have not given any support (From what I read) to you or your family. Their actions are hurtful and vindictive. Honestly, I would not invite them to celebrate something so special. If it causes waves, then so be it, you can always play dumb and say that you thought you'd told them but it must have slipped your mind. Then let the chips fall where they may. I agree, that it is the Christian thing to turn the other cheek, but honestly how many times do you turn the other cheek when people continue to slap it. Enjoy your party, without them or don't enjoy your party with them. If it were me, I'd just as soon not have to deal with the added stress.

Anita

Hi ladies~

Jane~Your in-laws sound like mine, both sets! They haven't accepted my kids either so. Anyway...I completely understand not holding a grudge and letting by gones be by gones but...seems there's always a but...I wouldn't invite them if it were me, but that's me because I have been there and am still there with nasty in-laws, well was. But that can get kind of tricky. Because V's brother from MO went to his nephews graduation last year and thought for sure we would be there along with everyone else. Well, we weren't invited so that brought up a lot of stuff and he was wondering why. Of course to this day we have no contact with them what so ever which is sad. All this because they can't accept my kids or me. Apparently I am supposed to sit back and let them talk about me/us all they want and send nasty letters and not say anything. Umm, right! Don't think so. Anyway, families are a touchy subject and if part of the family is going to be there I would be ready for the questions as to why they aren't there or what if they should call them and say "Hey, you guys going?" etc. So in the end it may just be easier to invite them and let it go as hard as it would be, just to try and keep the peace. I think it would be fueling the fire by not inviting them especially should they find out others were invited and they weren't. So this is a hard one and I am not sure I have helped at all.

Marti~again, have a safe and fun trip!

Pam~(((((HUGS))))) to you and yours. I am so sorry to hear about your sis and I know this is such a cliche but she really is in a better place, and free from pain.

WELCOME Anita! Glad to have you aboard and looking forward to getting to know you.

Aaahh Susan~(((((HUGS))))) to you. I can only imagine how hard it is to see your baby driving away and crying, even if it his her dad. Hope he returned her on time-bet she was happy to see her mommy.

Angie~I wish my hair was thick! My kids were blessed with their dads thick hair, and curly when it grows out. Well, DD hair doesn't curl like before and she got the dark brown and the boys got the curls and the black hair. She has brown eyes where, DS#1 has hazel, brownish/green and DS#2 has greyish/blue, really blue depending on what he wears. Anyway, DS#2 keeps his head shaved, not bald but real close to the head because his black pretty hair is soooo thick he can't take it. From the time he was little his scalp was always dry and itchy and we tried everything. Now he shaves it and doesn't have the problem.

Mindee~it always cracked me up how they show that women crave pickles and ice cream or something off the wall when they are pregnant. I have never known a pregnant woman that craved pickles! I'm sure there are some out there somewhere though.

Had a great weekend. Did some yard work, got the lawn mowed to get off all the dead stuff to start anew. Won't fertilize till April though. Going to plant the shrubs and such when I get back from AR too much other stuff to get done this week before I go. Sunday we were gone most of the day and I must say it was nice to have the whole day alone with V. We hardly ever get that. Trying to catch up on laundry today and later on going to go pick up the tax papers that are finished. Anyway...

Hi to everyone else. Take care ladies and have a good day!

Hello ladies--

Its a few hours before we leave and James is in town doing some errands so I thought I would pop on in here while I had the time.

Susan--Hope Mike wasn't late in bringing Gaby home. I'll have to hunt him down and give him a long lecture about resposibility of being a parent and respect for the mother!!

Angie--I remember being jealous when you went to Cuba!! This is nowhere near as tropical and exotic as that, but I'll still have so much fun!

Mindee--I don't think I've ever heard of anyone ever craving pickles during pregnancy either. Wonder if that's just something they came up with?? Now I did have a cousin who craved everything sour! She was constantly buying sour patch candies!!

Jane--Oh my!! I don't think I would invite them over . I would send them an announcement, but not an invitation. This is for Katie. And with their history of making gatherings uncomfortable and upsetting....you wouldn't want that to happen here would you? I know the Christian in you wants to open the doors for them, but the Christian in you also wants to protect your family. And not inviting them is one way to protect them. I'm not sure how you should handle the situation....it's hard. And each family is different. So it really is a hard call on what to do. I know it would be a lot on Katie's shoulders to make this decision, but since it is for her.....she should be the one to decide if she wants them there or not. (Just wait until your son gets married....you'll have to make this decision all over again!........what would he do?) NO HELP AM I JANE???

Anita--I know that same feeling of not wanting to clean house! I'm glad Jane clued you in on the chit chat thread....looking forward to hearing more about you and your little Joycelyn!!

Cristi--How nice to have a whole day w/your sweety! James mowed our yard yesterday. It was tall and thick and still a bit wet...even though we haven't had rain in weeks (or it seems) the weather here has been in the 70's and now I'll be driving down to where it may be raining!! But that's ok...we're still looking forward to the adventures of wandering around. Have fun in AR!! (when do you go?)

Ok.....I have to shower and get some things done before we take the dogs to the vet kennel and then leave. I promised Jhanai something from China town!

Off I go to browse a little before I get off here.

Take Care and I'll check in w/you all either Friday or Saturday!!